Four women that came into Virat Kohli's life before Anushka Sharma

Virat Kohli got identified as the new heartthrob of Indian cricket well before he became a modern-day legend. By the time he played in his maiden World Cup in 2011, he was clearly one of the most talented young batsmen in international cricket. He was also becoming one of the most sought-after brand ambassadors in the country.

With Indian Premier League (IPL) blurring the line between cricket and showbiz, and Kohli's involvement with the flamboyant Vijay Mallya's Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise, sooner or later, the star cricketer was bound to be seen with some leading celebrities from the cine world.

Before Kohli started a relationship with Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma that eventually blossomed into a marriage, there were stories and rumours of the master batsman dating other women – all of them from the world of showbiz.

Here are the four women who were known to be close to Kohli for some time. Whether they were just friends or girlfriends can only be, and has been, conjectured.

Izabelle Leite

29-years old Izabelle Leite is a Brazilian model and actress who came to India with the intention of making a name in Bollywood. She eventually starred in three Hindi and two Telugu movies. She got involved with Virat Kohli and the two were rumoured to be together for some time until 2013. Eventually though, without any comment by either party on the issue, their supposed relationship ended.

Sarah Jane Dias

36-years old Sarah Jane Dias may be older than Kohli but she too was reported to be in a relationship with Virat. A model, TV host, and actress, Dias even became Miss India World and represented her country in 2007 Miss World event. Similar to Leite, Dias' relationship with the current Indian captain was also in the sphere of rumours only.

Sanjjanaa Galrani

A well-known South Indian actress, Sanjjanaa Galrani is another lady whose name was linked with Virat Kohli. The stories of their alleged relationship were prompted by the pair seen together on several occasions. However, Galrani issued a straightforward statement wherein she stated that she is a friend of Virat and nothing more.

Tamannaah Bhatia

The most well-recognised name among all these four ladies for North Indian readers, Tamannaah Bhatia is also predominantly an actress in South Indian movies but has also starred in some Hindi films. She and Virat appeared together in a commercial in late 2012. Since then, reports of their relationship started circulating. However, this relationship was also never confirmed and soon Anushka would enter Virat's life.