- Thursday, May 09, 2024
He emulated the god’s distinctive gesture while the ‘Ram Siya Ram’ song was being played at the Newlands Cricket Ground to welcome South Africa’s Hindu cricketer Keshav Maharaj.
By: Shubham Ghosh
COME January 22 and prime minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the much awaited Ram temple in Ayodhya in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. As the temple fever gripped the nation, its touch could also be felt on the cricket field during the second Test match between South Africa and India in Cape Town that concluded on Thursday (4).
Ace cricketer Virat Kohli, who was standing in the slips on Wednesday (3), the first day of the match when South Africa won the toss and decided to bat, was seen paying homage to the revered Hindu god Lord Ram. He emulated the god’s ‘bow and arrow’ gesture while the ‘Ram Siya Ram’ song was being played at the Newlands Cricket Ground. The 35-year-old was also seen folding his hands out of respect.
A video of the incident went viral and fans praised Kohli over his gesture.
Read: India lose last 6 wickets for no run after skittling out South Africa for 55
The ‘Ram Siya Ram’ song was being played as the home team’s spinner-all-rounder Keshav Maharaj, a Hindu, came out to bat. His great-grandfather had travelled to South Africa from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh in the late 19th century as an indentured labourer.
The song had been played on a number of occasions when Maharaj came out to bat against India in the current tour, be it in the white-ball or red-ball format. Even India wicket-keeper KL Rahul pointed it out to the South Africa cricketer during the third one-day international match between the two sides in Paarl last month.
Virat Kohli doing Lord Rama's "Dhanush" pose when Keshav Maharaj coming to bat and Ram Siya Ram playing in the background.
What a beautiful moment 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/xnikrMQKUy
— Bhakti Sagar🚩 (@BhaktiSagar_) January 4, 2024
Kohli, who is known for his on-field theatrics, has been spotted visiting prominent Hindu pilgrim centres and temples with his actress wife Anushka Sharma on quite a few occasions. Their liking for spirituality has also earned them praise from the followers.
Kohli is among thousands of high-profile individuals who have been invited to take part in the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple.
India, meanwhile, won the match in Cape Town by seven wickets inside two days after 23 wickets fell on a challenging batting wicket on the first day.
