One of the world’s premier batsmen in the modern era, Rohit Sharma praised the Hero Indian Super League’s (Hero ISL) contribution towards Indian football over the last five years, while speaking at a La Liga event on Thursday where he was announced as the India Brand Ambassador for the Spanish League. 

The 'Hitman' is an ardent football fan who grew up idolising current Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane and attributed part of his skills and passion to the sport. The swashbuckling opener stated that Hero ISL has helped in revolutionizing the sport in the country. 

“You have to give a lot of credit to Hero ISL for bringing out the best Indian talent,” he said. 

The Hero ISL, which began in 2014, has helped football gain a mainstream audience in India and is one of the highest attended football leagues around the world. “Indian football has taken giant leaps over the last few years. The infrastructure has grown immensely and Hero ISL, in particular, has provided a great platform for all younger players to come out and display their skills," Rohit said. 

Rohit maintained that it will take time to reach world-class levels but one should have belief in the players and setup. "We need to be patient as it is a long procedure. We need to have faith in them," he said. "Football is growing. It is a process, it will take time. We (Indian cricket team) also didn’t become the number one side overnight, it started in the 1930s," added Rohit. 

Looking forward to seeing Indian football make its mark on the global stage, Rohit said that he is committed towards contributing to its growth journey. "The past five years have been tremendous for football's growth trajectory in India and I can only see Indian football grow from here as the Indian players have the facilities, and infrastructure and a league which is competitive," concluded Rohit.