Virat Kohli ties the knot with Anushka

Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma were married in Italy on Monday, they said in a statement, ending weeks of frantic speculation that they were being hooked.

"Today we have promised each other to be tied up forever, we are truly blessed to share the news with you," said the famous couple, adding that it had been a "beautiful day."

A statement sent to journalists said the wedding had been attended by close relatives and some friends, since "they wanted their wedding to be a very private affair."

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

Kohli and Sharma, both 29, posted different photos of them smiling together and wearing colorful Indian wedding clothes on their Twitter transmissions on Monday night.

The statement added that the couple will have a reception in New Delhi for family members on December 21, followed by a celebration in Mumbai on December 26.

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

Rumors of his impending wedding began to swirl recently when Kohli withdrew from India's limited parties against Sri Lanka and Sharma also withdrew from his busy acting program in December.

Indian television channels have announced it as the "wedding of the year".

Kohli and Sharma started dating in 2013 after they met during the filming of a shampoo advertisement.

The high-profile couple made their first public appearance a year later during a soccer game.

Kohli is one of the highest paid athletes in the world and a great star in India obsessed with cricket, and Sharma is one of the leading actresses in the country's multi-million dollar film industry ....