MUMBAI, Dec 12: India’s most watched couple — Bollywood star Anushka Sharma and Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli — on Monday tied the knot in Italy, ending days of suspense and media speculation about the couple’s marriage plans.

In one of the most awaited weddings in tinsel town and the playing fields, the two were married in a private ceremony, attended by close family members and friends, at a resort in Tuscany, Italy.

“Today we have promised each other to be bound in love forever. We are truly blessed to share the news with you,” Sharma and Kohli said on Twitter, posting pictures of the wedding ceremony.

The bride looked resplendent in a pink Sabyasachi wedding lehenga, while the groom looked dapper in a colour-coordinated sherwani from the same designer.

“This beautiful day will be made more special with the love and support of our family of fans and well wishers. Thank you for being such an important part of our journey,” they said in identical Tweets.

Sharma and Kohli, who were married with Hindu wedding rituals, will host a reception in New Delhi on December 21 followed by another bash in Mumbai for their industry friends and cricketers on December 26.

The celebrity couple, who had been dating for four years, were tight-lipped about their wedding plans despite the hype in the media.

In October, a newspaper reported that an Italian wedding may be on the cards for the couple.

The rumours intensified after Kohli was rested for the remaining ODI series against Sri Lanka.

Sharma and Kohli, both 29, first met on the sets of a commercial.

In a statement by Sharma’s representative, the couple said they will shift to their new residence in Worli, Mumbai later this month.

After the reception, the couple will fly to South Africa where Kohli will be prepping for the upcoming series.

The actor will spend the New Year’s Eve with her husband before flying back to Mumbai to start the shooting of Aanand L Rai’s film with Shah Rukh Khan. PTI

KOLKATA, Jun 24: Former India off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna today took a dig at Virat Kohli and said if the current skipper feels he is the “boss” of the Indian cricket then the team can do without a coach.

Prasanna sounded cynical in his response when asked about the rift between Kohli and Anil Kumble, who quit as Indian cricket team coach recently.

“Why do they require a coach, if the captain is the boss? I don’t think they even need the services of batting or fielding coaches (Sanjay Bangar and R Sridhar),” the former spin great told PTI.

Prasanna also questioned Kohli’s captaincy abilities.

“Kohli is undoubtedly a very good player but I do not know whether he is a good captain or not,” he said.

Kumble quit as India coach in the aftermath of their Champions Trophy final loss to arch-rivals Pakistan, stating that Kohli had reservations about his coaching “style” and their partnership was “untenable”.

The Indian team will be without a coach in the tour to the West Indies, where they play five ODIs and one-off T20 match starting at Port of Spain later today.

“If a legendary cricketer like Anil Kumble is not respected, I do not think neither of them — Bangar and Sridhar — will have the guts to speak to Kohli in a confident way. None of them are as experienced like Kumble,” Prasanna said.

“Just hire somebody for the physical training and that will be enough. If such is the attitude of a captain I don’t think you require a coach,” the 77-year-old said, seemingly upset with Kohli’s behaviour.

“We can go back to the good old days of appointing a manager to look after the logistics, if he (Kohli) takes up the responsibility. The role of a coach is not defined,” he added.

The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) consisting former cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman has been entrusted with the responsibility of recommending the coach to the BCCI but Prasanna said the appointment system needs an overhaul.

Prasanna further said the time has come for India to look beyond old warhorses like Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

“I don’t think they will be able to continue till the next World Cup in 2019, they will be 38 then. We need fresh and young legs and players who are extremely agile,” he said.

“Okay, Dhoni will be the wicketkeeper but Yuvraj is going to be a liability as a fielder. In fact, the selectors should have tried out more youngsters for this West Indies tour, as they are one of the weakest teams at the moment.-PTI