India vice-captain KL Rahul recently opened up about his wife Athiya Shetty and her superstitions at home when he is playing cricket for the national team.
Rahul revealed that Athiya likes to sit in one particular place at home when he's batting and doesn't like to watch his matches live from inside the stadiums because of the pressure she feels for him.
After their marriage, Athiya attended a couple of India's matches recently in the ICC World Cup 2023 last month and was also seen cheering for Rahul in the IPL 2023 when he was leading the Lucknow Super Giants.
“She has a lucky spot at home. So, she wants to sit there. You know how partners can be, they have their lucky positions, their lucky seats.
"They want to sit there and watch it. She’ll not move when I’m batting. She has certain superstitions when I am playing,” Rahul told Mayanti Langer on Star Sports.
In good times and in bad
Rahul and Athiya got married in January this year in an intimate ceremony held at her father Suniel Shetty's farmhouse in Khandala. They dated for almost four years before getting hitched.
The Karnataka-based cricketer also revealed that Athiya was more frustrated than him during his injury phase when Rahul was out of the team for close to six months.
“She was more frustrated and angry than I was. I found myself trying to keep her calm as it was the first time she was seeing me go through something like this.
"It was tough for both of us but it also gave us time that we needed together. She gave me a lot of love,” Rahul added.
Athiya making Rahul a better human being
The 31-year-old gave credit to his wife for challenging him to always do better in life as he highlighted how his life has changed after getting married to Athiya.
"If I am peaceful if I am in a balanced state of mind, that helps me perform my best, and that’s what she does for me in terms of cricket and professionally.
"Also, I can be a little too laid back and content at times. She challenges me to do better, push my boundaries a little bit," Rahul said.
