It was in 2007 that Harbhajan Singh had decided that he wanted to marry Geeta Basra. They finally got hitched eight years later. Now that they have tied the knot, they say that life has come a full circle. In their first interview post marriage, the couple talks about their journey from being friends to husband and wife.

So, has the feeling sunk in that you guys are married now?
Geeta: It's been one hell of a week and by the end of it, we were totally exhausted but didn't want it to end because everyone was together - friends and family - after years. I think my entire family came together after 25 years.
Harbhajan: It was more tiring than playing a Test match. Obviously I had a lot of fun, all my friends and family members were around, but it was tiring.
Geeta: Imagine dancing through the day and night. So much of partying, so many sleepless nights. While playing cricket, they have strict timings - going to sleep by 10.30 pm-11 pm max and then waking up by 6 am or 7 am. But during these last few days, we were sleeping at 6 am and then had to get ready for the next function. Being an actress, I am accustomed to such schedules but we still get rest and breaks in between. But this was a different experience and what you would call a big, fat Punjabi wedding.
Harbhajan: It was a very, very fat wedding.

Did you wait for the right time to get married?
Geeta: Well, I had always said that I am not getting married during the summer. My friends, family and I didn't want to not enjoy because of the heat. I think we had always planned that whenever we get married, we will enjoy and the weather will be good.
Harbhajan: See, we were planning when to get married. Obviously, it had lot to do with when I got the time ­ when the ODI series was to finish and the Test series was about to start in the next 10 days. More importantly, I also wanted my friends from the cricket circle to be part of the wedding and make this occasion memorable. We had thought that we would get married in February this year, lekin phir date postpone ho gayi because I got back into playing mode. But this time, we decided to take advantage of my 10-day break.
Geeta: Before the wedding, ek baar toofan aaya and then the earthquake right before the day our functions were about to start. So we had the blessings of the rain gods, dharti ke bhagwan. I think everyone blessed us.
Harbhajan: The best part was that the weather became so pleasant during those few days. And as far as the earthquake is concerned, meri zindagi mein waise hi aane waale tha, pehle hi aa gaya!

Before news about your wedding came out, you never accepted or denied your relationship...
Harbhajan: I don't understand why I need to go out in public and say I am doing this or that. Ultimately, the relationship is between me and her. We know what our relationship is like. What was there to say when she was there in all the matches? She knows it, I know it, my friends and family know. Uske baavjood koi stamp paper sign karna tha, wohi hi nahi kiya.
Geeta: Ho gaya na aaj stamp. We never denied it. We never admitted it. We didn't speak about it because I felt that if you speak about it once, then that's the only thing you end up talking about with everyone. Our personal life is very private. I am still a little open, but he wants his own space. We have always said that whenever we get married, we will announce it and talk about it. And we didn't hide it.

But there was always conjecture about your wedding...
Geeta: We were supposedly married seven times before the actual wedding. Mere dates set ho gaye thay, jagah decide ho gayi thi, guest list set ho gaya tha. Hum bas padhte gaye. That's what happened in the last couple of years. We just kept reading about our wedding and laughed it off.
Harbhajan: Main toh isko kai baar bolta tha I hope I am invited too. And last do-teen din mein hum padh rahe hain about 'our' wedding.

So, how did your love story begin?
Harbhajan: I saw her in a song ­ Woh Ajnabee ­ when I was playing county cricket in London. I told my friend, 'I want to meet this girl.' I know many people in Bollywood now, but at that time I didn't have too many friends in the filmi circuit. I told a couple of friends ki, 'Mujhe isse milao yaar, kaun hai yeh.' When we went to South Africa and won the T-20 World Cup, I got her number from a friend and messaged her, 'I am so and so and I would like to meet you over tea or coffee'. She didn't reply for three-four days. After we came back from South Africa, all she wrote was, 'Well done on winning the 2020 World Cup. We are very proud of you and all the best. Keep making all Indians proud'. I said, 'Wow, that's a nice reply to what I asked'. Then when the first season of the IPL was about to start, she messaged me, 'I need two tickets'. So I said, 'Okay, ticket toh de hi deta hoon'. And then it was during the IPL that we met. I think isko laga ki inhone tickets di hain, toh ek baar toh milna chahiye. She met me for coffee and then we became friends and after that, we got into a relationship. She made me wait for long and said, 'We will be friends first and then see'. For me, it was love at first sight.
Geeta: I was genuinely not interested. At that moment in my life, I wasn't interested in getting into a relationship. I was very new to India and the industry. The Train had just released and my focus was on movies. I knew if I got into a relationship, then things will change. He pursued me for 10 months. During that time, the media kept linking us because we were clicked having coffee somewhere, but we were just friends. We always met with a group of friends. Hum kabhi akele nahi milte thay, phir bhi media mein aa gaya that we were together. I think the media also played a role in getting us together. I realised one day that he's a nice guy, you don't find a lot of nice guys these days. My friends loved him and they gave me the go-ahead.
Harbhajan: Actually, iske friends ko main zyaada pasand tha.
Geeta: There was a time, when I told him, 'Let's stop talking. You move on and I move on'. And then I realised that there was such a void. In October 2008, I told him, 'You should just find someone and settle down'. That's what he wanted at that time.
Harbhajan: Yes, I wanted to settle down.
Geeta: He wanted to get married but I wasn't interested. But I think destiny had other plans. When something has to happen, it will happen. It was a couple of months back that we decided that we should get married during the week when he had his off.

Did you also discuss with your friends about Geeta?
Harbhajan: Obviously, you discuss with your friends, but in the end, you decide for yourself.
Geeta: He knows what he wants. He's not a person who needs to consult somebody. I remember, when I had met him initially for a couple of times, he had told me, 'You are the girl I want to get married to'. This was in 2007, before we were even together. He had told his friends also.

A cricketer's relationship status and whether his wife or girlfriend is accompanying him has become a huge issue...
Harbhajan: Agar bad results hain, toh relationship ki wajah se hain. Agar achche results hain, toh relationship ka koi impact nahi hai. This is sad. Kai baar baat hoti hai, ki woh player achcha nahi khela kyunki uski girlfriend thi wahan. Kyun, girlfriend ne wahaan jaake batting ya bowling ki? It's not right to blame anyone. It's a game, sometimes you will have off days. We hardly discuss cricket when we are together.
Geeta: I have never travelled with him. The first India match that I saw was the India-Pakistan match in Mohali (The 2011 World Cup match). People have this perception that I travel a lot with the team and I have seen his matches, but I haven't. I have seen his IPL matches in Mumbai, but this was the only year that I went to Kolkata and Hyderabad to watch the semifinals and finals. I have always seen his matches on TV.

Geeta, how much do you understand cricket now?
Geeta: Thoda bahut pata hai. I know a lot more now than what I used to know. I didn't know who he was earlier since I was new to India and I'm not from a sporty family.
Harbhajan: Once during an IPL match I suddenly got out. And isko pata hi nahi chala ki main out hoke bahaar ja raha hoon. She was the only one in that stand joh jhanda lehra rahi th ki jaise main chakka maar ke aaya hoon.
Geeta: Mujhe laga isne chakka ya chauka maara hai. Utna toh I know now but I'm unaware of the technicalities, like what is a silly point or gully.
Harbhajan: Mumbai Indian match jeet gaye, India match jee gaya, Bhajji ne accha kiya. Isko itna pata hota hai.

You both come from differen backgrounds. How has the journey been for you guys?
Geeta: From London to Jalandhar, it's a huge transition.
Harbhajan: Normally, it's the other way round. Youngsters from Punjab go abroad to work
Geeta: Mere saath ulta ho gaya. Main London se Jalandhar aa gayi. It's been a heck of a journey. But it's been fun. There are many places to see and a lo more to experience. My friends from the UK came to Punjab for the first time to attend the wedding. We had a blast. We got married at the hotel where we had our first date in Punjab. So, life has come a full circle for us.

Where are you heading for your honeymoon?
Harbhajan: To be honest, I don't know at the moment. We were planning to go to Seychelles, but I have to see what is coming up, in terms of cricket. I need to get back to playing and we will see when we get time. It could be next week or next month.