"She has stood like a rock for me" - Rohit Sharma lauds Ritika Sajdeh for being his "No.1 support system"

India's new limited overs captain, Rohit Sharma, credited his wife Ritika Sajdeh for being his "No.1 support system". He said that she has stood "like a rock" for him, helping him develop as a cricketer.

Speaking to Boria Majumdar on his show 'Backstage with Boria', Rohit said:

"She is my No.1 support system. No doubt about that. She has stood like a rock for me all these years. Behind me, next to me, in front of me – whatever you want to call it."

Rohit said that Ritika takes care of most responsibilities at home, especially with their daughter Samaira. Rohit feel it has allowed him to focus on his game.

"Without her, all this that I am doing was never going to be possible. Because, you have certain responsibilities, you know. And I have a young daughter now. She is completely focussed on making sure that she gets the best of everything. And she is playing a big part in making sure that I don’t have to worry about what’s happening with her. Because she is doing this so well, I can focus at times on what I’m doing."

Rohit added:

"And obviously when I come back home, it’s just about family, getting together, making the most of it."

Ritika keen to see me grow even further as a cricketer: Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma said that Ritika Sajdeh is invested in seeing him grow even more as a player and that her help is much appreciated.

"Yes, she has played a big part and she will continue to do that, because I know for a fact how much keen she is to see me grow as a cricketer even further. So her help in whatever she is doing is very well appreciated," he said.

He reiterated that the two of them are a team and they fail and succeed together.

"We are one team, obviously. If I fail, she fails. If I succeed, she succeeds as well. That’s how we look at it. And I just feel we’ve got a lot to look forward to in the future," Rohit told Boria Majumdar.

On Wednesday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that Rohit Sharma will be taking over from Virat Kohli as the captain in ODIs.

He was also promoted in the Test squad, replacing Ajinkya Rahane as vice-captain of the Indian cricket team. He was named India's T20 International (T20I) captain ahead of the home series against New Zealand last month.