Buzz around Virat, Anushka betrothal

Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and his Bollywood girlfriend Anushka Sharma are preparing to be engaged this weekend, according to the buzz in Dehradun.

The couple have neither denied nor confirmed the rumours. Virat and Anushka, both 28, have been in Dehradun since December 24, it is learnt. They have remained closeted at Hotel Ananda in Narendranagar, about 17 km from Rishikesh, since their quiet arrival. They stepped out only to visit an ashram at Ambuwala village in Haridwar district on Tuesday, it is said.

Swami Anant Maharaj, the couple’s spiritual guru and head of the Haridwar-based Anant Dham, visited them at the hotel on Thursday.

Anushka’s maternal side has its roots in Dehradun, in the hill state of Uttarakhand. The buzz got stronger on Thursday with movie star Amitabh Bachchan and his wife Jaya reaching the hotel.

A host of celebrities and members of the Indian cricket team are likely to attend the ceremony, people in Dehradun are saying.

Satish Sharma, actor and editor of a local daily, told DH this was the second sporting romance in Dehradun. Cricket hero Mahendra Singh Dhoni, hailing from Ranchi, is married to Sakshi, who hails from Dehradun.

With industrialist Anil Ambani and his wife Tina, the Bachchans arrived at the Jolly Grant airport and headed straight for Hotel Ananda in Narendranagar, about 17 km from Rishikesh, where Virat and Anushka have been staying. Media reports suggest the engagement is likely to be also attended by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat.

Hotel sources confirmed the Bachchans and their friends had rooms booked till January 1. Anushka’s grandmother Urmila Sharma still lives in Dehradun.