Bollywood star Anuska Sharma on Sunday praised her husband and cricketer Virat Kohli for his "grit and determination" as he powered India to a magical four-wicket over Pakistan in a thrilling T20 World Cup game on Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Anushka, who often accompanies Virat to his games, watched the nailbiter of a match on TV like several other cricket fans. She is currently shooting for "Chakda Xpress", a film based on cricketer Jhulan Goswami's life, in Kolkata.
The actor said their 21-month-old daughter Vamika will one day understand why her mother was "dancing around and screaming wildly" in the room.
"... One day she will understand that her dad played his best innings that night which followed after a phase that was tough on him but he came out of it stronger and wiser than ever before!
"So proud of you !! Your strength is contagious and you my love, are LIMITLESS!! Love you forever and through thick and thin," the actor-producer wrote in a note on her official Instagram account.
In his own words, Virat had no idea how he had engineered India's epic win over arch-rivals Pakistan in their blockbuster T20 World Cup face-off after "struggling" with his form in these last months.
"Well, it's a surreal atmosphere. I honestly have no words. I have no idea how that happened. Till today I said Mohali was my best T20 innings. Then I got 82 off 52, today I got 82 off 53. Both are just as special.
"I will count this one higher because of the magnitude of the occasion and the situation we were in. All these months when I was struggling, you guys (the crowd) kept me going. Thank you so much," said Virat after his incredible knock in the team's big-ticket tournament opener.
Terming the game the "best match" of her life, Anushka said her husband had brought joy in people's lives on Diwali eve.
"You beauty!! You freaking beauty!! You have brought sooooo much joy in peoples lives tonight and that too on the eve of Diwali! You are a wonderful wonderful man my love.
"Your grit, determination and belief is mind boggling!! I have just watched the best match of my life I can say (sic)," she wrote alongside a series of pictures of her watching the match.
Many fans took to Twitter to "thank" Anushka after Virat scored a phenomenal unbeaten 82-run knock to anchor a chase of 160 which felt like a lost cause after the Men in Blue were scrambling to find a foothold at 31 runs for the loss of 4 wickets.
Even before they got married, the actor has often been subjected to trolling and abuse on social media whenever the right-hand batter failed to put up an impressive number on the board.
"The wife #AnushkaSharma. After everything you guys said about her she is here standing besides her husband," wrote a user.
"Everyone say thank you to Anushka Sharma and Vamika Kohli," said another.
In January 2022, Anushka had penned a heartfelt note for Virat Kohli when he stepped down as the Test captain of the Indian men's cricket team, following the 2 1 test series defeat against South Africa during the tour of South Africa. The cricketer quit as India's T20 captain last September and was later replaced by current skipper Rohit Sharma as ODI captain by the BCCI in December.