Devotional music being played at a cricket ground is a rarity but when Keshav Athmanand Maharaj strides in, the in-stadia DJ gets a special request to play one song: “Ram Siya Ram Jai Jai Ram.”
And the request comes from none other than the South Africa left-arm spinner himself, prompting India skipper KL Rahul to ask him ‘everytime you enter, they play that song’ during the recent ODI series in South Africa.
In the Cape Town Test, as Maharaj entered to bat, Virat Kohli was seen standing with folded hands.
“It was obviously something I put forward to the media lady and requested that song to be played,” Maharaj, the Durban Supergiants skipper in the upcoming SA20, told PTI during an interview.
For Maharaj, the Durban-born cricketer of Indian origin, Lord Ram is his greatest strength.
“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.
Talking about the second edition of SA20, the skipper is confident that his team would do well.