Time Romesh Ranganathan Joked About Explaining Cricket Kissing To Wife

Back in 2020 when we were all still in the thick of lockdown restrictions, a romantic proposal at a cricket match delighted the world – but it might have landed Romesh Ranganathan in the doghouse.

You see, the man who got down on one knee bore a marked resemblance to the UK comedian, who joked he’d had to spend a day explaining to his wife that the man was not in fact him.

The pictured man, Dipen Mandaliya, who was rocking an Indian cricket jersey, went viral after he proposed to his Australia-supporting partner Rose Wimbush during the match, with the moment broadcast on the big screen.

Commentator Adam Gilchrist was heard saying: “Here we go,” as the man presented his girlfriend with the ring.

He added: “Please say yes.”

The woman was seen nodding to her partner and Gilchrist went on: “We’ve got confirmation, well done. Always a risky play isn’t it?

“Who said there’s a fierce rivalry between India and Australia?”

Fans held their breath just in case she said ‘no’, but thankfully the Romesh-lookalike was delighted with her response.

Incredibly, Australia player Glenn Maxwell also joined in with the applause.

Romesh, when he’s not busy being mistaken for proposing cricket fans, is currently starring as a host on BBC series The Ranganation, where he’s joined by celebrity guests and forms his very own focus group with 20 members of the public.

In the latest series, he takes a comedic look at modern Britain.

In an interview with Beyond The Joke, Romesh says that he wanted the programme to be a ‘topical show not a political show’.

He said: “I have a focus group who come from different walks of life across Britain and they help me chew the fat over whatever has been going on that week.

“So it could be political but for example, in the pilot, we talk about people putting up England flags during the World Cup and how that makes people feel because that in the week we filmed the pilot the Royal Mail had banned their staff from putting flags on their vans because of the connotations or whatever.”

He added: “For some people, that flag was a symbol of patriotism and it’s amazing and it’s disgusting that it was banned.

“And for other people, they saw it as a sign of kind of slightly distasteful nationalism.

“So it’s me discussing these issues with people that come from all different backgrounds with a few other guests each week.”