South Africa's Keshav Maharaj Visits Ram Mandir in Ayodhya to Seek Blessings

South Africa cricketer Keshav Maharaj visited the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Thursday after linking up with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) camp ahead of the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The left-arm spinner shared a picture on social media from his Ayodhya visit. The post captioned: “Jai Shree Raam Blessings to everyone”.

Maharaj is set to undergo training with the Lucknow squad for IPL 2024 but will not be an official member of the squad.

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Earlier, Maharaj shared a video on Instagram ahead of the Ram Temple’s consecration on January 22, saying “Looking forward to the opening of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. May it bring peace and enlightenment to one and all.”

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During the ODI series between India and South Africa back in Junary this year, whenever Maharaj walked out to bat, the in-stadia DJ would play the track ‘Ram Siya Ram’ from the movie released in 2023, Adipurush.

KL Rahul had also asked the left-arm spinner, “Every time you enter, they play that.” Maharaj had spoken on the matter and revealed that he himself requested for the song to be played when he entered the field.

“It was obviously something I put forward to the media lady and requested that song to be played,” Maharaj was quoted as saying by PTI.

“For me, God’s been my greatest blessing and if I get an opportunity it’s the least I can do and it gets you in the zone and get that respect from other players. Respecting religion and culture is important but it’s a nice feeling to hear ‘Ram Siya Ram’ being played in the background,” Maharaj had said.

Keshav Maharaj’s Indian roots trace back to his great-grandfather who was from the Sultanpur village in Uttar Pradesh. He had visited the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala as well during the 2023 ICC World Cup campaign as well.

LSG will start their IPL 2024 season against Rajasthan Royals on March 24.

(With inputs from Agencies)