By Akanksha Gupta Last Updated:
Juggling a career and personal life is never easy and there’s constant guilt that everyone, be it men or women, faces in their quest for work-life balance. A lot has been written and said about a woman’s struggle to balance her personal and professional life but we often forget that men too, sacrifice a lot to become the breadwinner of the family. While most organisations allow their female employees to take maternity leaves, paternity leaves don’t get much preference. Thanks to the evolving times, men too are opting for paternity leaves to be hands-on with their newborns. After Kunal Kemmu, Kapil Sharma, Shahid Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan and Riteish Deshmukh, soon-to-be father, Virat Kohli had applied for paternity leaves to be with his wife, Anushka Sharma and is granted the same by the BCCI. (Also Read: Anushka Sharma's Minimal Boho Dress For Virat Kohli's Birthday Dinner Is Worth Your Monthly Salary)
After innumerous pregnancy speculations and several clarifications over two-and-a-half-years of Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli’s married life, the couple had announced that soon there will be a super-cute addition in their family. Virat and Anushka had posted a picture that featured the mommy-to-be flaunting her baby bump as the parents-to-be were all smiles for the camera. Virat and Anushka had captioned the post as “And then, we were three! Arriving Jan 2021.” Virat had applied to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for paternity leaves and he was granted the permission to return to India after the series opener of the India-Australia Test tour.
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Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released a statement that could be read as “At the selection committee meeting held on October 26th, 2020, Mr Virat Kohli had informed the BCCI about his plans to return to India after the first Test in Adelaide. The BCCI has granted paternity leave to the Indian captain. He will return after the first Test against Australia in Adelaide.” While it was a moment to rejoice for Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma, this decision received a mixed reaction from the Twitteratis. Some questioned Virat’s decision to take paternity leaves and compared it with Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s decision of choosing not to do back in 2015 while leading India in a World Cup in Australia when his wife, Sakshi Singh Dhoni had given birth to their first child. Some supported Virat and said that it is his personal decision to opt for paternity leaves. (Also Read: Virat Kohli And Anushka Sharma's Combined Net Worth, Own A 34 Crore Worth Sea-Facing Home In Mumbai)
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In reference to the tweets, speaking of Mahendra Singh Dhoni prioritising his commitment to the Indian cricket team over being with his wife, Sakshi Singh Dhoni when she had given birth to their daughter, Ziva Singh Dhoni, the Captain Cool had once revealed if his daughter had changed him as a person, "I don't know whether it has changed me as a cricketer, as a person yes of course because daughters are very close to their fathers. In my case the problem is when she was born, I was not there, most of the time I was playing cricket, so everything bad somehow is thrown at me (to deal with)." Do you know how MS Dhoni had learnt about his daughter, Ziva’s birth? It was in 2015 when Dhoni was preparing for the 2015 ICC World Cup and Sakshi had to contact his teammate-friend, Suresh Raina to inform about the arrival of Ziva in this world.
For the unversed, December 19, 2006, was a tragic day for Virat Kohli but it was also marked as a beginning of a journey to a successful cricket career. Virat’s father had passed away after a long battle with cancer the same night when he had to play Ranji Trophy and soon after the cremation, his presence in the field and the tremendous performance had touched millions of hearts. Since then, there has been no looking back for the captain of the Indian cricket team, Virat! With just a few weeks for Virat to become a father himself, let’s take a look at the video of him, indulged in an adorable conversation with Ziva Singh Dhoni at Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Ranchi home. Sharing a video with Ziva in 2017, Virat had written, “My reunion with Ziva. What a blessing it is to be around pure innocence.” (Also Read: Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Wife, Sakshi Singh Dhoni Gives Glimpse Of Their New Sea-Facing Home In Mumbai)
What are your views on Virat opting for paternity leaves? Let us know!
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