Anushka, Virat finally tie the knot in Italy

After leaving fans curious amid a stream of rumours, Bollywood star Anushka Sharma and ace cricketer Virat Kohli finally got married.

The couple has made the announcement in Twitter posts from their respective accounts, thanking fans and well-wishers for their love and support. 

The two tied the knot at a private ceremony in Milan, Itlay, reported Indian media which quoted an insider as saying that the ceremony took place Monday morning, where close friends and family of the couple were present.

Soon after the announcement was made Monday evening, social media went abuzz with congratulatory messages for the couple. Best wishes were also conveyed by Pakistani cricketer, Mohammad Amir and former player Shoaib Akhtar.

A statement sent to journalists said the wedding had been attended by close family and a few friends as "they wished their wedding to be a very private affair".

The ceremony was performed according to Hindu rituals, it added.

Kohli and Anushka, both 29, posted different photos of themselves smiling together and dressed in colourful Indian wedding garb on their Twitter feeds late Monday.

The statement added that the couple will host a reception in New Delhi for relatives on December 21, followed by a celebration in Mumbai on December 26 to be attended by Bollywood stars and cricketers.

Afterwards, Anushka will accompany Kohli to South Africa where he will prepare for India's forthcoming tour there which is taking place early next year.

The statement added that after spending New Year's Eve together Anushka will return to Mumbai in the first week of January to resume her acting commitments.

They will live in Mumbai, the home of India's Hindi film industry, it said.

The pair, dubbed "Virushka" by Indian media, is one of the highest profile couples in star-obsessed India.

Kohli is among the world's highest-paid athletes and a huge star in the cricket-mad nation, and Anushka is one of the top actresses in the country's multi-billion-dollar film industry.

They started dating in 2013 after they met during the filming of a shampoo advert and made their first public appearance a year later during a football match.

Indian newspapers have been gripped by their four-year relationship, which included a reported break-up in early 2016, and rumours of their impending nuptials started swirling recently.

They were triggered when Kohli pulled out of India's limited-overs matches against Sri Lanka and Anushka also ducked out of her busy acting schedule in December.

Then last week Anushka and her family were seen at Mumbai's international airport, apparently heading for a European destination.

Kohli has smashed numerous records throughout his illustrious career and recently became the first batsman to score six double Test centuries as a captain.

Anushka's film credits include hit movies Sultan and PK. She won a national Filmfare Award for her role in Jab Tak Hai Jaan (As Long as I Live).

Indian TV channels billed their vows as the "wedding of the year".

With reports of the marriage, Kohli and Anushka's is the latest in a list of Bollywood-cricket weddings. From former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore to the recent Zaheer Khan-Sagarika Ghatge union, India has a long history of marriages between cricket players and movie stars.