Virat Kohli welcomes 2nd child with Anushka Sharma, Vamika's ...

"With abundant happiness and our hearts all of love, we are pleased to inform everyone that on 15th February, we welcomed our baby boy Akaay & Vamika's little brother into this world!" read the post on Instagram.

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"We seek your blessings and good wishes in this beautiful time in our lives. We request you to kindly respect our privacy at this time. Love & Gratitude. Virat & Anushka."

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Kohli's blockbuster announcement answers the 'personal reason' behind his absence from cricket. Rumoured to welcome parenthood for a second time, Kohli, named in India's squad for the first two Tests against England, withdrew from the series three days before the start of the opener in Hyderabad.

The BCCI release stated that Kohli spoke to India captain Rohit Sharma and the team management regarding his decision, where he emphasised that while representing his country has always been a priority, 'certain personal situations demand his presence and undivided attention.' Rajat Patidar was named as his replacement.

Virat Kohli's absence explained

The suspense around his pullout only grew with each passing day as the world remained mum and Kohli himself distanced himself away from social media. The lid was briefly lifted by AB de Villiers and when he, on his YouTube channel, revealed that Kohli was spending time with his family as he is expecting a second child, the world heaved a sigh of relief that everything was well with the former India captain.

However, when the former South Africa captain backtracked from his statement just a few days later, more mystery surrounded Kohli's prolonged hiatus. Amid rumours that he might be back for the 3rd, 4th or the perhaps 5th Test, the BCCI ended speculations that Kohli will not take any part in the ongoing Test series.

The birth of Vamika

Virat and Anushka became parents for the first time with the birth of Vamika on January 11, 2021. The then captain Kohli, who was aware of the due date, played the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia during the second week of December 2020 before flying back home to be with his wife. In his absence, Ajinkya Rahane had taken over captaincy and led India to arguably their greatest Test series win of all time. That was a different case altogether as the couple had announced Anushka's pregnancy long before, unlike this time when it was kept a secret throughout.

Virat and Anushka got married on December 11 of 2017, and just last month, the star couple celebrated the third birthday of their daughter, Vamika. Ever since the birth of their first child, Kohli and Anushka have always requested media privacy when it comes to Vamika. The couple had requested them not to click Vamika's photographs and the paparazzi has respected this condition of theirs.

In 2021 though, just before Vamika was about to turn a year old, her face was accidentally revealed by the broadcasters during India's 2021 tour of South Africa, after which both Kohli and Anushka had expressed their disappointment in the same. But ever since, Vamika's face has been kept away from the public limelight, and the belief is that Akaay will follow the same path as her sister.

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