Here's everything you need to know about South African spinner, Keshav Maharaj, who is a devotee of 'lord Hanuman, is married to an Indian kathak dancer, Lerisha and has a green 'Om' sign on his bat.
The vice-captain of the South African cricket team, Keshav Maharaj is one of the best left-arm orthodox spin bowlers in the world. It was back in 2016, when Keshav made his Test debut in November 2016, after which he was called for the ODI side back in May 2017. In a period of 6 years, Keshav has managed to become one of the key players in South Africa and has also proved the mettle of his bowling skills to the cricket world.
Keshav Mahajan's international career needs no introduction. However, only a few people know the fact that he made his first-class debut at the age of 16 for KwaZulu-Natal in the 2006-07 season. After his impressive bowling in multiple seasons, he was promoted to the Dolphins team back in 2009-10.
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In recent years, we have seen Keshav taking charge of South Africa's bowling lineup in the absence of Dale Steyn. However, apart from being an impressive bowler, he is also a skilled batsman, who has saved the day of South Africa and the Dolphins on multiple occasions.
Everyone is aware of the fact that Keshav Maharaj has some roots in India. The cricketer was born on February 7, 1990, in Durban, South Africa, to his parents, Atmanand and Kanchan Mala. However, only a few know that Keshav's forefathers used to live in Uttar Pradesh's city, Sultanpur, which is located on the banks of the Gomti River.
As per multiple reports, it was back in 1874 when Keshav Maharaj's forefathers decided to move to South Africa for better work opportunities. Although Keshav was born and brought up in South Africa, but he shares a beautiful bond with India.
We have repeatedly seen him celebrating various Indian festivals with his family. Another major thing that proves Keshav's love for India is the fact that his wife, Lerisha Munsamy, also hails from India.
South African cricketer, Keshav Maharaj is married to a stunning trained Kathak dancer, Lerisha Munsamy. The couple got engaged back in 2019, but due to COVID-19 and the passing of a close family member, Keshav and Lerisha got married in 2022. The much-in-love couple tied the marital knot as per Indian tradition, and it once again showed Keshav's love for the Indian culture and his roots.
For the unversed, Lerisha Munsamy has a massive fanbase of 47.1K followers on Instagram, who are in love with her dance and fashion quotient. We have repeatedly seen Lerisha dropping stunning pictures with her cricketer-husband, Keshav Maharaj, from their dinner dates, events and family vacations. However, her dance videos entertain her fanbase the most, as she's an exceptional Kathak dancer.
The ace South African bowler, Keshav Maharaj and Lerisha Munsamy met through their mutual friends, like almost every couple in the world. After meeting several times, Keshav and Lerisha developed a liking for each other and soon started dating.
However, there's a cutesy incident related to their dating phase. As per reports, when Keshav and Lerisha decided to meet on their first date, it was the stunning diva, who wasn't on time. But the cricketer handled the situation gracefully and made her comfortable, which melted Lerisha's heart and convinced her that she had chosen the right guy.
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After dating for a while, when Keshav Maharaj and Lerisha Mansamy decided to take their relationship to the next level, they found it a bit tricky. The reason behind it was the differences in their cultural background. However, instead of going straight to his parents and telling them about Lerisha, Keshav decided to perform a kathak performance with his ladylove on his mother's 50th birthday.
After training together and learning the choreography, when the day came, Keshav Maharaj and Lerisha Mansamy set the dance floor on fire with their beautiful performance. The traditional dance performance impressed Keshav's mother, and she agreed to their decision to get married as all she wanted was a daughter-in-law, who loved and respected the Indian culture.
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When South Africa faced the Netherlands on October 17, 2023, at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, the result of the match broke the headlines, as it was a defeat for the rainbow nation. The nation, which was termed as one of the favourites to win the tournament, faced an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Dutch. However, another thing that became a highlight was their vice-captain, Keshav Maharaj's bat. The cricketer holds a lot of love, respect and roots in the Indian culture and Hindu religion. But when a sticker of 'Om' was seen on his bat, it became a topic of mass discussion on the internet.
While some people hailed Keshav Maharaj for respecting his roots as Om is a sacred Hindu syllable, which is considered as one of the most important mantras in Hinduism. For the unversed, Keshav Maharaj is also a devotee of Lord Hanuman. Time and again, we have seen him visiting temples and seeking blessings from Bajrangbali ahead of his matches.
What are your thoughts about Keshav Maharaj's Indian roots and his love story with Lerisha Munsamy? Let us know.
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