5 Cricketers and their celebrity crushes - Revealed

We all have that one celebrity who leads actors on-screen but gets under our skin, even global cricketers. These confessions are not merely tabloid froth but they make players we admire for their sporting prowess human. The next time you watch these cricketers in action on the field, recall that off-duty, they're no different than the rest of us: gasping for air in a line, scrolling through cinema trailers, and perhaps, just perhaps, texting a "LOL" when their heartthrob puts up a new film still.

Here are five game stars confessing on record, off the field, who made their hearts skip a beat.

1. Virat Kohli: Genelia D'Souza

Much before Anushka Sharma became his life, Virat Kohli confessed a school-boy's crush on South Indian actress Genelia D'Souza. During a 2010 chat with VJ Anusha Dandekar, he confessed that Genelia’s bright smile and bubbly screen presence made him “crazy” for her, and he even mimicked her laugh to her delight. Kohli’s fondness for her was public enough to go viral, proof that even a future India captain can get starstruck. Years down the line, he has been married to another Bollywood actress and star, Anoushka Sharma, who remains his crush every day. 

2. Rohit Sharma: Kareena Kapoor Khan

Rohit Sharma, who is famous for his calm batting nature, is fond of Kareena Kapoor Khan. During a 2013 interview with Filmfare, he cited Kareena as his all-time celebrity crush, describing her as "very beautiful" and lauding her performances alongside favorites such as Vidya Balan and Deepika Padukone. He's "crazy" about her work, he acknowledged, a comment made again when footage of him fawning over Kareena was rediscovered on the internet. 

"Hitman" has been looking quite carefree on the field, sending bowlers across the park for fun and gushing over someone is not exactly a daily image. Even though now, all that has been set aside to his blissfully married life. 

3. Smriti Mandhana: Hrithik Roshan 

India’s elegant opener Smriti Mandhana surprised fans when, in a candid session with comedian Danish Sait, she named Hrithik Roshan as her celebrity crush. She highlighted his dance moves and on-screen energy, admitting that his role in Jodhaa Akbar left her “speechless”. Even among her teammates, Smriti’s playful admiration for the actor stands out, showing that batting averages aren’t the only numbers she watches closely.

4. KL Rahul: Malaika Arora (…and a little bit of Shraddha Kapoor)

KL Rahul has come clean with a few Bollywood crushes in the past. On Koffee With Karan, he cited Malaika Arora as his go-to crush, for her "killer dance moves" and her catch-all confidence, although he confessed his crush dissipated once her very public, big-ticket romance was out in the open. 

In another tongue-in-cheek BCCI interview, he named one more soft spot, for Shraddha Kapoor and for Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson, but Malaika was his headline heartthrob.

5. Suresh Raina: Sonali Bendre

The prolific ex-Indian middle-order batsman, who was the first Indian to hit a hundred in T20Is, is also well-settled in his personal life with his wife, Priyanka Chaudhary.

In regard to his crush from Bollywood, it is the best pick, and she is none other than the most beautiful woman alive on earth, Aishwarya Rai. He allegedly sang a song for her on stage, as the song turned out to be 'Mujhse Naaraz Ho To' from the movie Papa Kehte Hain.

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