India suffered a massive defeat against South Africa in their Super 8 stage fixture by 76 runs in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Chasing 188, Team India early wickets and were left tottering at 51/5 before eventually getting bundled out for 111. The South African bowlers ripped through India’s batting unit with Marco Jansen returning with four wickets and Keshav Maharaj picking up three.
Corbin Bosch bagged a couple of wickets as well. Captain Aiden Markram had earlier provided South Africa the first breakthrough after he sent in-form Ishan Kishan back in the hut.
The left-arm spinner Maharaj dismissed Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh and Arshdeep Singh in the same over to eventually return with bowling figures of 3/24 in 3 overs. with this win, South Africa go at the helm in the points table in their group in Super 8.
Keshav Maharaj’s India Connection
Born in Durban, Keshav Maharaj’s forefathers originally hailed from Sultanpur, a town in Uttar Pradesh, India. In 1874, his ancestors migrated to South Africa. Despite growing up in South Africa, the spinner often expresses his admiration for Indian culture.
He is a follower of Lord Hanuman. Fans have often seen sacred “Om” symbol on his cricket bat as well. Maharaj is know to visit Hindu temples at regular basis especially before a big tournament. Maharaj also went To Ayodhya to visit the Ram Mandir and seek blessings before the start of IPL in 2024.
During the Test series against India in 2024, whenever he came out to bat, the ‘Ram Siya Ram’ song started to play in the stadium. Maharaj revealed, that he is a big devotee of Lord Ram and Hanuman, and that song helps him get in the zone.
“That is my entrance song. I am a devotee of Lord Hanuman and Lord Ram so I think it is a fitting song,” said Maharaj told ANI.
“It was obviously something I put forward to the media lady and requested that song to be played. 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 said to PTI.
Keshav Maharaj In Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple pic.twitter.com/tG5W7H95iZ
— indianhistorypics (@IndiaHistorypic) October 27, 2023
South Africa have kicked off the Super 8 stage with authority and will look to continue momentum. India, on the other side, need to go back to the drawing board and rejig their plans.
Also Read: T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal Scenario | How India Can Still Qualify After Loss To South Africa
