Bollywood and cricket are no strange bedfellows in a country where both symbolise all that's high life - glamour, money and scandal. The professions have a history of courtships - sometimes convenient, sometimes uncomfortable, at times of the flyby-night nature and at others, of a long-term alliance.

These relationships naturally enjoy their fair share of media attention. "It's no news that famous, beautiful and rich people attract similar kind of people. It's just a comfortable and balanced match" says fashion photographer Atul Kasbekar.

One of the trendsetters was cricketer Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who married actress Sharmila Tagore in 1969. While theirs made them a golden couple, actress Reena Roy's marriage to cricketer Mohsin Khan ended in a shambles. Then there were cricketers Kapil Dev and Ravi Shastri, who after their reported short and failed link-ups with some of the leading actresses, went ahead and got married.

"Cricketers wouldn't like to miss a chance to date an actress even if it is for a brief period. Being a man, it's only a great feeling to be in a relationship with the most desired ladies," says adman Prahlad Kakkar. While most of these relationships have only resulted in failed marriages and break-ups, there have been some which only enjoyed the 'rumour' tag.