Love is Blind and it has no Boundaries. In a country like India inter-cast or inter-religion marriage is not common. Religion becomes a barrier at times between two people of different religion.
But many couples have broken the barrier despite social unacceptance.
Here’s a list of Indian cricketers who have broken the wall of religion and have gone against the cultural beliefs for love:
1) Zaheer Khan
Former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan shocked the world when he announced his engagement with Bollywood actress Sagarika Ghatge. Sagarika later admitted in an interview that she was surprised Zaheer proposed to her in April 2017.
The two got married in the same year and announced the news on social media. Though Zaheer is a Muslim and Sagarika is a Hindu, their relationship hasn’t been affected because of the religion barrier.
2) Mohammad Kaif
Former Indian batsmen Mohammad Kaif was one of the best fielders during his times in the Indian team. Kaif fell in love with a Noida based journalist Pooja Yadav after meeting in a party in 2007. The two got engaged in 2011 after dating for four years.
Pooja Yadav gave birth to her first child Kabir in the following year. Five years later the duo was blessed with the birth of a baby girl named Eva. Kaif is a Muslim while Pooja is a Hindu.
3) Yuvraj Singh
Former Indian all rounder Yuvraj Singh married British model Hazel Keech in 2015. Yuvraj revealed the story behind their relationship in a show. Yuvraj said that the two met in a party in 2011 and he asked her for a coffee date. Hazel agreed to meet but later switched her phone off because she did not want to hurt him and at the same time, she did not want to go out with him.
Later, Yuvraj was diagnosed with cancer but he did not stop following her. Finally, Hazel accepted his proposal and the two got married.
Yuvraj is a Sikh while Hazel is a Christian. After marriage, Hazel changed her name to Gurbasand Kaur.
4) Ajit Agarkar
Former Indian fast bowler Ajit Agarkar met Fatima Ghadially in 1999, a year after making his international debut. Fatima was Ajit’s sisters friend. The two got married in 2007 after dating for a couple of years.
Fatima is a Muslim while Ajit is a Maharashtrian Brahmin.
5) Dinesh Karthik and Deepika Pallikal
Deepika Pallikal was an Indian squash player who hated cricketers as she believed that the kind of hype and fame that they get dwarfs other sportspersons. The two met each other when they were taking fitness sessions under coach Basu. After meeting him for a couple of occasions, Deepika’s misconceptions about cricketers went away.
The two did not made their relationship public until 15 November 2013 when the two got engaged in Chennai. However, Deepika was spotted in a number of occasions in the IPL cheering for Kathik. The two got married in 2015.
Deepika is a Christian while Dinesh is a Hindu by religion.