In her Instagram post, Ritika wrote, “So many emotions, you mean so much to our entire family.You will be missed so much. I think Sammy will miss you the most.”
She accompanied her message with Rohit’s own tribute to the former head coach. Praising Dravid as “an absolute stalwart of this game” in his post, Rohit revealed that his wife, Ritika, affectionately referred to the cricket legend as Rohit’s “work wife.”
Rohit expressed his admiration for Dravid, stating, “Since my childhood days, I have looked up to you just like billions of others but I was lucky enough to get to work with you this closely. You are an absolute stalwart of this game but you left all of your accolades and achievements at the door and walked in as our coach and came on a level where we all felt comfortable enough to say just about anything to you. That is your gift, your humility and your love for this game even after all this time. I have learnt so much from you and every memory will be cherished. My wife refers to you as my work wife and I’m lucky to get to call you that too.”
Following India’s defeat in the ODI World Cup final in November 2023, Dravid briefly considered stepping down from his coaching role. However, a convincing discussion with team captain Rohit Sharma led him to reconsider and continue until the T20 World Cup.
India’s victory against South Africa in the T20 World Cup final not only secured the long-awaited trophy but also ended a 17-year wait for this prestigious title.
Following Dravid’s departure, Gautam Gambhir, a former teammate of Rahul Dravid, has been named as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team.