Rohit dedicates third double hundred to wife Ritika

It was there for everyone to see but Rohit Sharma wanted to keep no stones unturned. So at the post-match presentation, he announced, “I dedicate this knock to my wife.”

Mohali: It was there for everyone to see but Rohit Sharma wanted to keep no stones unturned. So at the post-match presentation, he announced, “I dedicate this knock to my wife.”

It was the 2^nd marriage anniversary of Rohit and Ritika and the Indian stand-in captain known for his sweet timing, celebrated with a record double ton to ensure a series leveling win for India.

"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.

Ritika was a bundle of emotions during Rohit’s innings and it all culminated into tears of joy when Rohit reached his third double hundred in the very last over of the Indian innings

"This is our second anniversary, but more than that, we won the game. We were determined to do the right things in the middle, and right till the end we did that. As a group, we are looking forward to Vizag," he said.

Asked to pick one among his three double tons, Rohit said, "Very difficult to pick one. All three came at crucial times. 264 is obviously very close to me. I've said it many times, but I honestly cannot pick one.

"The Australia one was a decider, the Sri Lanka 264 – I came back after a three-month layoff after a big injury, and this one also - after a humiliating loss, we wanted to come back as a team, as a batting unit especially," he said.