There are a lot of foreign cricketers who have married Indian women. Among them are Muttiah Muralitharan, Hassan Ali, Shaun Tait, Shoaib Malik and Mike Brearley.
The latest to that list adds Australian star batsman Glenn Maxwell. He tied the knot with a South Indian beauty named Vini Raman, a Melbourne based, 29-year-old pharmacist, two weeks ago on March 27.
The wedding ceremony was conducted in Chennai according to traditional Brahmin Tamil customs as his fiancée is a Tamil girl. Maxwell’s parents and other family members also took part in the event. Before this, the couple also got married in a Christian ceremony in Australia on March 18. It was for his parent’s side, which consisted of 350 guests. The two got engaged after five long years of relationship.
Viral footage of ‘Varmala’ ceremony
The amazing thing about the Chennai wedding is that the video footage of the ceremony soon went viral on social media. In it, Glenn is seen wearing a golden-coloured sherwani while pharmacist Vini sports a red lehenga. The couple can be seen exchanging garlands and playfully dancing during the ‘Varmala’ ceremony which is a popular ritual in Tamil marriages. Meanwhile, guests stand around the couple and clap as the ceremony goes on.
In another video, both Vini and Glenn were sitting on their friends’ shoulders and were struggling to put the varmala (garlands) in each other’s necks. And there are a few pictures where the newlyweds were sitting next to each other in their wedding ensembles with varmala around their necks. Sharing one picture, Glenn and Vini have written: “Officially married. The Maxwells | 27.03.22.”
Beautiful pictures
Earlier, on March 19 taking to their respective IG handles, the couple had shared their wedding picture. In the photo, the newly-married couple could be seen sharing an intimate moment as they had kissed each other. Glenn and Vini had looked stunning in their respective wedding ensembles. Sharing it, Vini and Glenn had penned: “Mr and Mrs Maxwell | 18.03.22.”
On March 22, Maxwell and Raman had taken to their respective IG handles and had shared a mesmerising picture from their intimate haldi ceremony. In the picture, the handsome, 33-year-old cricketer was seen kissing his then-fiance-now-wife, Vini on her forehead. Glenn had looked handsome in an orange-coloured bandhgala and golden pyjama. Whereas Vini had donned a dark-green coloured silk saree with an orange coloured border, which she had teamed up with an orange-coloured border blouse. They captioned the picture as: “A little glimpse into our intimate Nalangu/Haldi ceremony, wedding week has begun.”
Wedding invitation card
Meanwhile, the wedding invitation card of them also went viral on social media. It was printed in Tamil with traditional letters. The pictures are also breathtaking in their respective wedding outfits in the video. The gorgeous bride could be seen all decked up in a traditional red saree. In the adorable video, Maxwell could be seen enjoying the Indian customs to the fullest. Another thing in those pictures is Maxwell’s smiling, happy face.
Fans’ response
Fans’ reactions for the videos and pictures on social media are also interesting. For instance, a Twitter user named Loosu Paapa posted, “All the pictures and videos from Maxwell’s wedding are so wholesome. He probably doesn’t even understand half the traditions but doing all them with a full heart just bcs of her”.
Another twitter user joked, “Now Maxi Is Half Indian Man!!”
One more user said: “So adorable and made this wedding very special for everyone. Best wishes and wishing you the happiest married life ever.”
Vini had previously shared pictures of their mehendi ceremony which included a photo of the couple with their parents - Maxwell’s parents and siblings participated in it with South Indian outfits.
Cricketers’ welcome
As the wedding video is really funny, from cricketers to IPL teams, everyone congratulated Maxwell on the marriage. Harbhajan Singh, former Indian spin bowler, said good luck to Maxwell for the new beginning of life, while the photo of Maxwell’s wedding was also shared from the Twitter account of Chennai Super Kings.
Maxwell’s initial proposal plan fell through and admitted that the experience was more nerve-racking than a World Cup Final. He said he planned to propose in a park but “we went for a walk and everything felt so wrong”.
Five-year relationship
As stated earlier, the couple started their relationship in 2017. During the past five years they could understand each other very well. When talking about Maxwell, he was suffering from some health issues from time to time, and that affected his batting form. Especially during the World Cup, he was battling depression. So after that, he took a break from cricket.
Anyhow, it was his girlfriend Vini, who handled Maxwell well during the time. Maxwell himself had told this in an interview. However, when Maxwell recovered, he made a strong comeback on the cricket field. From Big Bash to IPL 2021, he won everyone’s heart by batting fast.
IPL records
Glenn Maxwell is an aggressive batsman. He scored 513 runs in 15 matches at an average of 42.75 in IPL 2021. His strike rate was also more than 144. As there is no AB de Villiers with Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise (RCB) now, Maxwell is the most demanding batsman for them. So he will soon be joining the RCB to play in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 tournament.
Due to the wedding, Maxwell missed the first two matches against Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. In the first match new RCB captain Faf du Plessis scored 88 off 57 while Virat Kohli scored 41 off 29 as RCB scored 205/2 after being invited to bat first. But Punjab successfully chased the target down with five wickets and an over to spare. In the second match RCB defeated Kolkata Knight Riders where Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga took 4 wickets becoming the Man of the Match.
Earlier, there were talks of making Maxwell the captain for IPL 2022, but the franchise made Faf du Plessis the captain of the team. In such a situation, Maxwell will be seen playing under the captaincy of this African player. Maxwell was sold to RCB for IND. Rs 11 crore this season.
At the moment his national side Australia is on a tour to Pakistan. But due to his marriage he had to quit from the side for some time, and it has also delayed his joining the RCB team.
Now, after the marriage Maxwell would go to Melbourne to live where his wife Vini is practicing pharmacy.