5 international cricketers who married Indian women
They say marriages are made in heaven and it's a statement that's tough to argue against. Even more so when they traverse geographical dimensions and boundaries to unite a couple.
The cricketing world is a good example of the same with many a match crossing continents. Some of these well-documented stories have made our hearts melt, proving that love knows no barriers.
With the game of cricket globalized like never before, players get to visit different parts of the world and experience their culture. Some of that has turned life-changing as well, with many of them finding their better halves along the way.
In this listicle, we look at five international cricketers who went on to marry Indian women.
#5 Muttiah Muralitharan and Madhimalar Ramamurthy
The most successful bowler in cricket history, Muttiah Muralitharan has a record that only a few can imagine coming close to matching.
The Sri Lankan legend boasts an incredible 1347 wickets across all forms of international cricket, with him playing his last game in 2011.
Muralitharan's better half happens to be from the Indian city of Chennai. He tied the knot with Madhimalar Ramamurthy in 2005 and the couple have two kids together.
Madhimalar happens to be the daughter of the late Dr. S. Ramamurthy, former chairman of the famous Malar Hospital in Chennai.
#4 Hasan Ali and Samiya Arzoo
Pakistani pacer Hasan Ali has a bit of a cult following amongst his fans, given his entertaining antics on the cricket field. His career hit a zenith in 2017, as he bowled Pakistan to the ICC Champions Trophy and won the Player of the Tournament award.
Hasan married Samiya Arzoo, a flight engineer from India, in Dubai in 2019. Samiya hails from Chandeni in Haryana and her family is based out of Faridabad.
She gave birth to the couple's first child – a daughter named Helena – in 2021.
#3 Shaun Tait and Mashoom Singha
Nicknamed 'The Wild Thing', Shaun Tait is comfortably one of the fastest bowlers the world has seen.
Tait played a pivotal role in Australia clinching the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007 and his thunderbolts were a handful and then some, leaving many a batter prancing around in his crease.
During his stint with the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL, Tait met model Mashoom Singha. The duo began dating and were engaged in 2013 before tying the knot the following year.
Tait also secured Indian citizenship rights in 2017 and is an overseas citizen of the country.
#2 Glenn Maxwell and Vini Raman
The 'Big Show' Glenn Maxwell is one of the most sought-after white ball cricketers on the planet today.
The Victorian, aside from captaining the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League (BBL) and representing Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL, is one of the mainstays in the Australian setup.
Maxwell got engaged to Indian-based pharmacist Vini Raman in 2020, before the duo tied the knot prior to this year's IPL.
Raman hails from a Tamil family and pictures from their traditional Indian wedding went viral earlier this year. Maxwell's RCB teammates also celebrated their wedding with pomp during the IPL season.
#1 Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza
One of the most famous matches in the sport was made in 2010 when Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib Malik got hitched to Indian tennis superstar Sania Mirza.
Their wedding generated plenty of buzz and attention across the borders of both countries.
The duo wed in the Indian city of Hyderabad before settling down in Dubai thereafter. Both have also gone on to achieve unprecedented success in their respective professions over time and continue to do so today.
The couple was blessed with parenthood in 2018 when Sania gave birth to their first son, Izhaan.
Also read: 5 best off-the-field Rahul Dravid moments