Anushka Sharma faces unfair trolls again after Virat Kohli’s consecutive ducks against Australia

Ever since Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma publicly acknowledged their relationship and later married in 2017, the ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ actress has often found herself dragged into the public arena whenever the batting legend runs into trouble on the cricket field.

Sadly for her, little has changed this week. After Virat recorded back-to-back ducks against Australia men's national cricket team in the second ODI at Adelaide Oval, online trolls were quick to swing the blame — once again targeting Anushka.

In the match, India posted 264/9 but Australia chased it down by two wickets, with Virat dismissed for zero via a four-ball duck by Xavier Bartlett in the seventh over. This marks the first time in his 17-year ODI career that he has registered consecutive ducks.

Also Read: From the Pitch to Peace: Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma embrace spiritual solace in Vrindavan

The trolling of Anushka serves as a sad footnote. She did not take Virat’s place in the innings nor handle the bowling. Her real role is life partner and supporter. Yet the online mob finds her an easy target.

As India head into the third and final ODI in Sydney, much attention will centre on Virat’s response, both with bat and the locker-room. Meanwhile, Anushka’s resilience under the glare of public blame underscores a broader cultural problem: women publicly supporting sports stars are too often treated as part of the performance equation, rather than individuals themselves.