Harbhajan Singh’s wife Geeta Basra lauds Virat Kohli for raising awareness about paternity leaves

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh’s wife and actress Geeta Basra has lauded Virat Kohli for raising awareness about the concept of paternity leave in India. The right-handed batter, who is married to actress Anushka Sharma, took paternity leave midway through India’s 2020-21 tour of Australia amid the birth of their first child. A lot was said and written about Kohli’s decision as Australia has been a tough place for touring teams.

Moreover, Kohli was the captain of the side at that time. However, in order to be with his wife, he gave three of the four Tests in the series a miss. The couple eventually welcomed a baby girl on January 11, 2021, and named her Vamika. Geeta, who has two children in daughter Hinaya and son Jovan, is mighty impressed with Kohli’s decision as she highlighted the role of a father in parenting.

In India, many are not even aware of paternity leaves: Geeta Basra

“A working mom raised my two siblings and me. I want to be like that. Raising a child is as much a responsibility of a father as it is of a mother. In the UK (Geeta was born and raised there), paternity leave is a common thing. In India, many are not even aware that such a thing exists. It’s great that Virat Kohli shed light on this issue. That awareness has to be there,” Geeta told the Times of India.

The actress further said parenting is collaborative work and hence, the father also has certain responsibilities. She also talked about Harbhajan’s parenting skills. “Parenting is collaborative work. Bhajji is changing our son’s diaper as we speak. He is a hands-on dad, but I have seen men who aren’t as involved in their children’s upbringing as if it isn’t their responsibility and that’s wrong,” she added.

Meanwhile, Harbhajan has retired from all forms of cricket and is now an active analyst and commentator. On the other hand, Kohli is currently plying his trade for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.