Footballer to food: A comprehensive list of Rohit Sharma's “favorites”

Team India’s all-format captain Rohit Sharma is currently gearing up for Asia Cup 2022, which will be played in the UAE from August 27 to September 11. The Men in Blue are currently in Zimbabwe for a three-match ODI series. However, Hitman and most of the senior members of the Indian team have been rested for the same.

Along with Virat Kohli, Rohit is one of the most popular superstars in Indian cricket today. His record speaks for itself. The 35-year-old is the only batter in the history of the game to have smashed three double hundreds in ODIs. He also holds the record for having scored the highest number of T20I tons - four.

As full-time captain of India as well, Rohit has made an amazing start to his new journey. During the tour of England, he became the first captain to register wins in 14 consecutive T20Is.

Being such a successful sporting personality, fans are always eager to know every detail of his life - from his favorite food to sportsperson.

In his compilation, we list the Hitman’s likes and preferences.

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Rohit Sharma favorite foods and movies

Last year, Rohit’s Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, Mumbai Indians (MI), shared a video on their social media handles in which the skipper opened up about some of his favorites.

When asked which of the three dishes between kothimbir vadi, misal pav and puran poli would he pick as his first preference, Rohit chose kothimbir vadi, followed by misal pav and puran poli.

He named the Aamir Khan-starrer ‘Lagaan’ as his favorite movie, followed by ‘Chak De! India’ and ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’.

Asked to name his favorite seafronts in Mumbai, Marine Drive topped the list for Hitman, with Bandra Bandstand and Juhu Chowpatty coming second and third respectively.

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Hitman’s favorite footballer is…

The Indian captain is a self-confessed football fan. During a media interaction a couple of years back, he revealed that former France and Real Madrid star Zinedine Zidane is his favorite footballer.

Speaking to ANI, Rohit also shared his experience of watching an El Clasico match between Barcelona and Real Madrid in 2020. He said:

"I would say live, I went to El Clasico in 2020, just before COVID struck. We were there in Madrid to watch the Real Madrid and Barcelona game. So that was my best-ever memory of La Liga so far.”

Being a Real Madrid fan, Europe is also one of his favorite holiday destinations. The opener shared a picture with his wife Ritika Sajdeh from Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and termed watching El Clasico a "surreal experience".

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His favorite Virat Kohli Test hundred

The Indian captain (right) with Virat Kohli. Pic: Getty Images

Rohit’s first Test match as skipper was special for one more reason, it was also Virat Kohli’s 100th match in the longer format. The game was played at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali.

At a pre-match press conference, Rohit picked his favorite Kohli hundred in Test matches and said:

"As a team, the series we won in Australia in 2018 and it was a big series, and Virat was our captain. As a batter, I remember his hundred (in Johannesburg) against South Africa in 2013. The pitch on which we played was a challenging one and we had bowlers like Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander and Jacques Kallis to face which wasn't easy.”

He added:

"It was a bouncy track and we all were playing Test cricket in South Africa for the first time. He scored a hundred in first innings and 90 odd in the second innings. That hundred for me is his best. Then there is Perth 2018 but 2013 South Africa beats Perth.”

Kohli scored 119 and 96 in the 2013 Johannesburg Test, which ended in a high-scoring draw.

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His 5 favorite Indian batters

Sachin Tendulkar (L) and Rahul Dravid.Pic: Getty Images

In 2020, when cricket across the globe came to a halt, Rohit was quite active on social media platforms. He featured in quite a few Instagram live sessions. During one such interaction, he was asked to pick his five favorite Indian batters.

The Indian captain named fellow Mumbaikar Sachin Tendulkar as his all-time favorite Indian batter, followed by Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman and former skipper Sourav Ganguly.

Explaining his choice, he commented:

“When I was young, I had seen no one other than Paaji (Sachin). Then later, I started following other cricketers. There was Rahul (Dravid) Bhai who scored a lot of hundreds in the England series of 2002. I think there were a lot of good knocks in that series.

"Then there is Viru (Virender Sehwag) Bhai. The way he batted at the top of the innings was enough to kill half of the bowlers’ confidence. Then, of course, there is VVS Laxman and Dada (Sourav Ganguly). These are the top five that I have seen.”

Sehwag and Rohit were part of the Indian team that won the 2007 T20 World Cup. The latter also made his Test debut in Tendulkar’s farewell international series against West Indies in November 2013.

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Hitman’s favourite century of World Cup 2019

Rohit Sharma during the group stage match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 between South Africa and India at The Hampshire Bowl in Southampton. Pic: Getty Images

Although India failed to win the 2019 World Cup, Rohit had an unbelievable tournament, smashing a record five tons. He broke Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara's record for most centuries (four) in a single edition of the 50-over World Cup.

In a video posted on his Twitter account a couple of years back, the opener was asked about his favorite century during the 2019 World Cup. He picked his unbeaten 122 against South Africa in Southampton.

Explaining his choice, the star cricketer said:

"My favourite hundred in the World Cup last year was against South Africa, the first game we played. Although it was a low total but the conditions were quite challenging and the bowling attack was really good.”

Rohit's knock led India to a six-wicket win in a chase of 228. Earlier, Yuzvendra Chahal claimed four wickets to restrict the Proteas to 227/9.

Rohit finished the 2019 World Cup as the leading run-scorer, with 648 runs in nine matches at an average of 81.

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