Rohit Sharma Says Match-Winning Hundred A V-Day Gift For Wife Ritika
Rohit Sharma dedicated his 'Man of the Match' award to wife Ritika Sajdeh as a Valentine's Day gift.
Highlights
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Rohit Sharma scored 115 in the 5th ODI
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Rohit Sharma dedicated his Man of the Match award to his wife
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India lead 4-1 in the six-match ODI series
Rohit Sharma ended a personal South African hoodoo and set up a series win for India in the 5th ODI at St George's Park on Tuesday. Sharma's 115 was his first major innings in three tours of South Africa -- and India's 73-run win enabled the tourists to take a winning 4-1 lead in the six-match series, their first success in seven bilateral or multi-team series in South Africa. The Mumbai batsman dedicated his 'Man of the Match' award to wife Ritika Sajdeh as a Valentine's Day gift. "Happy Valentine’s Day Rits @ritssajdeh," he captioned an Instagram post, which showed him posing with his trophy.
Last year, Rohit dedicated his third double century to Ritika on the occasion of their second marriage anniversary.
"I'm happy my wife is here with me on this special day. I know she would have liked this gift from me. She has been my strength. She has always been there for me. You go through so much stress in this sport, and having them around is always special," Rohit said at the post-match press conference.
"This is our second anniversary, but more than that, we won the game," he said.
On Tuesday, Rohit's 17th ODI century ended a run of low scores in South Africa. In 19 previous innings across both Tests and one-day internationals, his previous highest score was 47 and he had scored only 249 runs at an average of 13.11.
He said he had ensured that he stayed in a good frame of mind despite not making big scores.
"I have been enjoying South Africa. It's a good place to play cricket. I knew I didn't have to change a lot and the runs would come," he said.
Rohit's 17th one-day international century ended a run of low scores in South Africa. In 19 previous innings across both Tests and one-day internationals, his previous highest score was 47 and he had scored only 249 runs at an average of 13.11.
Rohit hit 11 fours and four sixes in his 126-ball innings but should have been caught on 96 when Tabraiz Shamsi dropped a straightforward offering at third man off Kagiso Rabada.
(With inputs from agencies)