'Rohit is the chef at home'

Their courtship has stood the test of time — a decade to be precise. Captain of Mumbai Indians, Rohit Sharma, and wife Ritika Sajdeh, who were recently at the Zimson store in UB City, was basking in love and took time off their busy schedule to talk about their love and life.

The couple, who got married recently, said that it was common friends who brought them together. “I am proud of Rohit. He knows what exactly he wants and his priorities are laid out well,” she says.

The couple clearly enjoy each other’s company. They not only travel together but sometimes, cook together as well. “I don’t cook as good as Rohit. He’s the chef at home.

He makes the best ‘pasta’ and interesting variations of egg,” says Ritika. The cricketer says he finds cooking a great way to beat stress. “I don’t consider myself a great cook but I do so whenever time permits,” he adds.  

Rohit says he’s completely focussed on the game but off it, he relaxes with his PlayStation, FIFA being his favourite. “I have almost all the FIFA series. I either play alone or with friends,” he says.

“It’s not  just FIFA, Rohit and his friends even end up playing football at home, breaking a lot things in the bargain,” Ritika smiles. Rohit is proud of his collection of PlayStation games and adds to it whenever he’s travelling.

He has also started learning to play the guitar from a friend. “I’ve just started lessons in guitar and can play a tune without a mistake. That’s good progress, considering I hardly get time to practice. I always like to learn a bit of everything. This keep me creatively engaged,” he elaborates.

How does he handle pressure? “I can’t wish away pressure. I’ve faced a different kind of pressure before joining the Indian team and later I had to deal with the pressure of handling success and rising up to expectations. I’ve trained my mind to never get stuck in high-pressure situations. I remain calm always and don’t panic,” says Rohit.

Rohit says he has found the perfect partner in Ritika. Ask them what has held them together for so long and whether life has changed after marriage? “Nothing has changed,” they say. “We are together because we love each other and I don’t think anything can change that,” Rohit says. “It’s a lot of trust and understanding that has brought us this far,” Ritika shares.