How Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma managed to keep son Akaay's birth secret for five days

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma have become parents again. The couple welcomed their second child - a son they named Akaay - on February 15. But the news only broke when they issued a joint statement on social media on Tuesday evening, five full days later. In the age of absence of privacy and social media snoops, that the celeb couple managed to keep the news under wraps for such long is mean feat. Here's how they did it.

Maintained social media silence

Virat Kohli had taken a leave from the Indian cricket team's ongoing Test series against England. The star batter missed crucial games in the World Test Championship but the only official reason he gave was that it was for a 'family emergency'. While there was speculation that it could be linked to Anushka's health and/or her pregnancy (which had also onl been rumoured till then), the two celebs chose to stay silent in the matter.

Flew to London for the birth

Anushka Sharma has been in London for several weeks now and that is where Virat also flew to earlier this month after taking his break. Being away from Mumbai, or India rather, meant that they could be in their little bubble of privacy, just like they wanted, away from the roving eyes of fans, paparazzi, and nosy journalists looking for a scoop.

Paparazzi and scribes respected their request for privacy

But the media also showed restraint in this matter. Virat and Anushka have always been private about their personal lives. They did not share Vamika's pictures in public for the longest time and the paparazzi and media (by and large) respected this request. They did the same here and refused to act on rumours and speculation, allowing the celeb couple to deal with the birth of their second child in private.

On Tuesday evening, Anushka and Virat took to social media to announce the birth of their second child in a joint statement. In a note, the couple wrote: "With abundant happiness and our hearts full 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!" The couple concluded the note with a message to the fans and media. "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," it read.

The cricketer and the actress have been married for over five years. They welcomed their first child - a daughter they named Vamika - in January 2021.