SA20 2024: Keshav Maharaj Reveals Reason Behind ‘Ram Siya Ram’ Being Played On His Entry

South Africa all-rounder Keshav Maharaj has finally revealed the real reason behind the song “Ram Siya Ram” being played at the time of his arrival on the crease during the recently concluded ODI, T20I, and Test series between India and South Africa.

Keshav Maharaj appeared 5 times against India in the month-long series after impressing the management with his performance in the Cricket World Cup 2023. One of the highlights of the series was the entrance song of Maharaj whenever he came out to bat.

India’s skipper for the ODI series, KL Rahul was even caught in the stump mic saying “They play this song whenever you come to bat Keshav”. As we all know, Keshav Maharaj has his origins from India and he is a follower of Hinduism, a religion that is widespread across India.

He also has a Hindu symbol behind his bat and is often appreciated for staying true to his values and staying connected to his origins. In a recent interview with PTI, Keshav Maharaj claimed that he was the one who asked the media present in the stadium to play the “Ram Siya Ram” song upon his arrival at the crease.

The 33-year-old reasoned that walking towards the pitch to that song helps him get into the zone and it is also his own way to thank god for the career he has had. Although he did not have a very good performance in the series against India, Keshav Maharaj still made the headlines just because of that song.

“Obviously, something that I put forward to the media lady and requested that song to be played. For me, God has been my greatest blessing, giving me guidance and opportunity. So, it’s the least that I can do and it also just gets you in your zone. It’s a nice feeling walking out to hear Ram Siya Ram playing in the background,” Maharaj said.

Watch – Keshav Maharaj Explain The Importance Of “Ram Siya Ram” Song

EXCLUSIVE | VIDEO: "Obviously, something that I put forward to the media lady and requested that song to be played. For me, God has been my greatest blessing, giving me guidance and opportunity. So, it's the least that I can do and it also just gets you in your zone. It's a nice… pic.twitter.com/TtDYg28oRN

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 9, 2024

Keshav Maharaj who was born in Durban to a Hindu family has had a decent international career until now. He has scored 1452 runs for South Africa across all formats and has played Test cricket 50 times, more than any other format.

In terms of his bowling prowess, Maharaj has racked up 158 wickets in Tests, 55 wickets in 44 ODIs, and has scalped 24 wickets in 27 T20I outings. He was a key player for the Proteas in their run to the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup in October-November.

He registered 15 wickets in 10 CWC games with a decent economy rate of 4.15. Keshav Maharaj is currently gearing up for the 2nd edition of SA20 which starts from tomorrow onwards. He will be captaining the Durban Super Giants in the upcoming edition and his team has a number of star players like Heinrich Klaasen, Quinton De Kock, Naveen Ul Haq, Nicholas Pooran, and Toni De Zorzi among others.