Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma visit Premanand Maharaj in Vrindavan

Business Standard

13-05-2025

Virat Kohli, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, went to the temple town of Vrindavan in the Mathura region of Uttar Pradesh with his wife, Bollywood star Anushka Sharma, a day after announcing his retirement from Test cricket. At his Kelly Kunj ashram, the couple also met Premanand Govind Sharan, better known as Premanand Ji Maharaj, and asked for his blessings.
Now, photos and videos of their spiritual journey to Vrindavan, which featured them riding in a local cab and wearing white, have become popular on social media. The couple has previously been seen visiting the spiritual leader. According to reports, they had two meetings with him such as one in January 2023 and another in January 2025.
Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma at Premanand Ji Maharaj in Vrindavan ????❤️ pic.twitter.com/MLdVpyVo8x
— Virat Kohli Fan Club (@Trend_VKohli) May 13, 2025
Conversation between Premanand Maharaj and Virat and Anushka
The followers of the famous leader posted a video of the duo asking the saint for blessings on the micro-blogging site "X." The spiritual leader can be seen in the clip, asking Kohli whether he was happy during a brief interaction with him. The couple has had a long-standing relationship with the Maharaj, and this was their second visit.
Anushka was heard asking during their latest conversation, 'Kya naam jap se ho jayega?'. He replied, 'Completely… I'm sharing this from my life experience. I have come to Bhakti Yoga after experiencing Sankhya Yoga, Ashtang Yoga, and Karma Yoga.'
'Ye vaibhav milna kripa nahi hai ye punya hai. Bhagwan ki kria maani jati hai andar ka chintan badalna… Bilkul aise hi rahi jaise reh rahe ho bilkul sannsarik ban kar raho, lekin andar ka chintan apka badal jaye, usme yash ki bhavna na reh jaye… Andar ka chintan ye rahna achaiye ki 'Prabhu bhot janm vyateet ho gaya ab mujhe aap chahiye'. (Prosperity is not merely God's grace — it is the result of virtue (punya). It is considered to be a movement toward the divine. What truly matters is the transformation of your inner self… Live just as you are living now, fully engaged in the world, but let your inner self change. Let there be no desire for recognition or fame within. Your inner thoughts should be: 'Lord, enough of all worldly experiences, now, I seek only You').' Anushka then asks him, 'Kya jap se ho jaega?'
Anushka Sharma's post on her visits to Premanand Maharaj
Anushka Sharma posted a photo of the two of them walking alongside each other and wrote, 'They'll talk about the records and the milestones — but I'll remember the tears you never showed, the battles no one saw, and the unwavering love you gave this format of the game. I know how much all this took from you. After every Test series, you came back a little wiser, a little humbler — and watching you evolve through it all has been a privilege.'
'Somehow, I always imagined you'd retire from international cricket in whites — But you've always followed your heart, and so I just want to say my love, you've earned every bit of this goodbye,' she further added.
Indian cricketer Virat Kohli on test retirement
Post his Test retirement announcement on Monday, Virat wrote on Instagram, 'It's been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket. Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on. It's tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I'll carry for life. There's something deeply personal about playing in whites. The quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever.'
He added, 'As I step away from this format, it's not easy — but it feels right. I've given it everything I had, and it's given me back so much more than I could've hoped for. I'm walking away with a heart full of gratitude — for the game, for the people I shared the field with, and for every single person who made me feel seen along the way. I'll always look back at my Test career with a smile.'