IANS

New Delhi, Jul 6: Newly-married Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was not supposed to tie the knot with Sakshi Singh Rawat before next year but astrological considerations led to the rescheduling.

According to a source who attended Dhoni's wedding at a farm house near Dehradun, the hush-hush affair was initially planned for 2011 but had to be advanced due to several reasons.

According to his astrologer, Dhoni, who turns 29 on July 7, has entered one of the most auspicious years of his life and both the families thought this would be the best time to formalise the couple's relationship.

Besides, the Indian skipper didn't have the time for a complex Hindu ritual given the packed international schedule he would endure in the coming few months.

But apart from this, Sakshi's family was not exactly comfortable with the media gossip surrounding Dhoni's alleged affairs with Bollywood actresses Deepika Padukone and Asin.

Deepika was even seen in the stands when India toured Australia last year. The Indian skipper never commented on these link-ups but that never stopped the speculation.

Dhoni and Sakshi had studied together and though they were seeing each other for around three years, the high-profile cricketer managed to keep the relationship a secret from the prying media.

Never the one to compromise on his privacy, Dhoni informed only close friend RP Singh about the wedding and even Harbhajan Singh got to know of it only on Friday - a day before Dhoni got engaged to the 23-year-old Saskhi, the source said.

RP Singh, who is training in the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, took leave days in advance to be there at the ceremony.

The wedding, for which only a few close family members and friends were invited, was a simple affair minus any alcohol.

The food served for the guests was Indian and all these arrangements were made by Dhoni's Delhi-based sister Jayanti.