Virat Kohli met Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in London. The latter is currently on his three-day official visit to the English capital, where he interacted with entrepreneurs and industrialists, pitching for investments in Maharashtra.
Eknath Shinde felicitates Virat Kohli
In a video shared by news agency ANI, Shinde was seen felicitating the star Indian cricketer. He draped a traditional shawl used for felicitation around Kohli and also presented a bouquet to him. It was reported by the news agency that Kohli and Shinde held discussions on sport and infrastructure.
In the above video, a voice is heard in the background, speaking to Kohli about government schools. “Government schools ke liye bhi aap agar kuch thoda…” (If you can do something for government schools). The cricketer responded stating that discussions have taken place.
Shinde hails Kohli as ‘down-to-earth’ cricketer
Shinde later shared details of his conversation with Kohli during their meeting. The 62-year-old hailed Kohli’s humility, calling him ‘down-to-earth’. “I told him about various welfare schemes in Maharashtra. I spoke about infrastructure, and he himself remarked that the development Maharashtra has seen in recent years is unprecedented. I also shared our future plans and the infrastructure projects currently underway, such as the ‘Third Mumbai’ development near the airport, the Atal Setu, the Balasaheb Thackeray Samruddhi Mahamarg, the coastal road, the metro, and initiatives regarding schools and healthcare,” Shinde said.
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Virat and Anushka moved to London in 2024
Kohli is originally from Delhi, having played Ranji Trophy cricket for the national capital. However, he moved to Mumbai after marrying Anushka Sharma. Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma also said that Kohli was a ‘gift’ from Delhi to Mumbai.
The star couple shifted their base to London reportedly in 2024. Dr Shriram Nene, husband of Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit, had revealed that this decision was taken by the couple to avoid constant attention and live a private life along with their children Vamika and Akaay. The star cricketer also faced criticism on a number of occasions for shifting base overseas.
“They were thinking about moving to London because they can’t enjoy their success (here). And we appreciate what they go through, because anything they do attracts attention. We almost become isolated,” he had said during an interaction with YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia.
Kohli and Anushka have been pictured on a number of occasions in London.
Virat Kohli scored 144 runs in England ODIs
Kohli was last seen in action in the ODI series against England. After managing just five runs in the series opener, Kohli bounced back with back-to-back fifties (65 and 74) in the second and third ODI matches. Kohli, who is only an active international cricket in ODIs, is expected to be in action when India host West Indies in an ODI series starting 27 September.
