KL Rahul, Athiya Shetty's wedding video storms social media

The first video of senior India batter KL Rahul and Athiya Shetty’s wedding has taken the internet by storm with netizens drooling over the couple’s married avatar.

Bollywood actress Athiya Shetty and India wicketkeeper batter KL Rahul tied the nuptial knot in a hush-hush ceremony in Khandala.

Post their wedding, KL Rahul and Athiya Shetty posed for the shutterbugs outside the wedding venue in Khandala, and the video of their first outing together as an officially married couple wowed the internet.

Subsequently, they shared their first pictures as husband and wife which also went viral on various social media platforms, including Twitter and Instagram.

KL Rahul and Athiya Shetty confirmed their wedding on Twitter and Instagram respectively. The couple wrote, “In your light, I learn how to love…Today, with our most loved ones, we got married in the home that’s given us immense joy and serenity. With a heart full of gratitude and love, we seek your blessings on this journey of togetherness.”

Athiya Shetty happens to be the daughter of actor Suniel Shetty and has acted in many films. The couple has been in a relationship for more than five years.

KL Rahul and Athiya Shetty’s wedding took place at a scenic farmhouse in Khandala, which is owned by the latter’s father, Suniel Shetty. The news of the couple’s marriage was confirmed by Suniel Shetty on Sunday.

Before KL Rahul and Athiya Shetty posted their wedding snaps on social networks, Suniel Shetty confirmed that the two were married. The cricketer and Athiya Shetty’s marriage ceremony was attended by some of the biggest names from both the cricket and the film world.

Among the cricket stars who were seen enjoying the festivities were KL Rahul’s India teammates, Ishant Sharma and Varun Aaron. Meanwhile, his other teammates couldn’t join him as they were busy in preparations for the third ODI against New Zealand which would be played in Indore’s Holkar Stadium on Tuesday.

KL Rahul wasn’t named in the squad for the New Zealand series due to personal reasons, which eventually turned out to be his wedding to Athiya Shetty.

“It was a beautiful, close-knit wedding. The pheras are done. The couple is officially married,” Suniel Shetty told reporters after the wedding.

Immediately after KL Rahul posted the pictures of his marriage ceremony with Athiya Shetty on Instagram, Virat Kohli and other Team India cricketers congratulated the newly-wed couple on the popular photo and video sharing platform.

Former India captain Virat Kohli was among the first to wish him to join the ever-growing group of married players in the national team.

Sending his love to KL Rahul and Athiya Shetty, Virat Kohli posted “congratulations” alongside three heart emojis on the social network.

Suryakumar Yadav also joined Virat Kohli in wishing the super lovable couple, writing: “Congratulations to the loveliest, KL Rahul and Athiya Shetty. Wish you the very best for the most important partnership of your life.”

2011 World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh said: “Wishing you both a lifetime of love and togetherness! Congratulations KL Rahul and Athiya Shetty.”

“Congratulations bro! May God bless both of you,” remarked Suresh Raina.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise that KL Rahul captains, wished the pair, saying: “Heartiest congratulations to kaptaan KL Rahul and Athiya Shetty from the entire Super Giants family. May your partnership keep flourishing forever.”

“Congratulations KL Rahul for new innings. Wish both of you happy married life ahead,” former India pacer Munaf Patel tweeted.

Speaking about his cricketing career, the Karnataka cricketer guided the Indian cricket team to a close victory over Sri Lanka in the second ODI earlier this month. Needing 216 runs to win at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the Men in Blue found themselves in deep trouble at 86/4.

But KL Rahul anchored the innings and remained unbeaten on 64, helping India to their second successive victory over the Dasun Shanaka-led side.

After the match, KL Rahul said that he enjoyed batting on the pitch and was happy to help the team win against the islanders.

“I won’t say it was a flat wicket, but I can’t say it was impossible to bat as well. It was quite a sporty wicket. When we started I thought it was a 280-300 wicket. It wasn’t moving much, spongy bounce, apart from that there was not much. We bowled really well to bowl them get out for 215. Again the start was brisk from the openers. They (Sri Lanka) put up a good fight. Got the early breakthroughs and put us under pressure. Challenging game, we can be proud of the way we fought,” KL Rahul said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

“We were batting first in Guwahati and the wicket was really good. We were trying to get the extra 20-25 runs, so no matter who the bowler is, you are looking to attack and things tend to happen. When I went in to bat last game we were in a comfortable position. We lost 4 wickets today, so it was important to soak in the pressure and ensure their main bowlers don’t get into the game early. We didn’t need to attack today,” he added.

“One thing I really enjoy (about batting at No. 5) is that you don’t rush back to bat (compared to the role of an opener). You can put your feet up, have a shower, have a good meal and react to the situation. If the team requires me to bat at a certain strike rate I try and do it to the best of my ability. More often than not just try and do the job the team wants has been my mindset. At No. 5 you will be facing spin, I like the ball coming on to the bat. Ro (Rohit) is pretty clear that’s where he wants me to bat (No. 5) and conveyed that to me,” KL Rahul signed off.