Gautam Gambhir visits Siddhivinayak, seeks blessings ahead of India’s T20 World Cup title defence | Cricket News
India head coach Gautam Gambhir paid a visit to the Shree Siddhivinayak Temple on Thursday, offering prayers to Lord Ganesha ahead of the team’s home T20 World Cup campaign. He was joined by batting coach Sitanshu Hargovindbhai Kotak during the visit.
The defending champions begin their title defence on Saturday when they take on the United States of America at the Wankhede Stadium, a venue steeped in Indian cricket history.
Gambhir has made it a point to seek blessings during recent tours as well. Earlier in the season, he visited the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati before the third T20I of the five-match series against New Zealand. Following that match, Gambhir and the Indian squad also offered prayers at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha temple in Simhachalam, Visakhapatnam, ahead of the fourth T20I. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, India enter the tournament as one of the standout favourites. A successful campaign would see the Men in Blue become the first team to defend a men’s T20 World Cup title. With no host nation ever having won the trophy, India have the chance to achieve something unprecedented, and stopping them from reaching both landmarks would require an exceptional effort. India’s depth and quality in the shortest format set them apart. This squad is widely viewed as stronger than the team that went unbeaten across conditions in the USA and West Indies two years ago. Their last T20I series defeat came in August 2023, and since the previous World Cup, they have recorded an impressive win–loss ratio of 6.5 in a format known for sudden swings. Preparation has also been thorough. Under Suryakumar’s leadership, India recently claimed five-match T20I series victories over South Africa and New Zealand, further underlining their control over the Proteas. That dominance continued on Wednesday with a 30-run win over South Africa in the official warm-up match, as India look to carry strong momentum into their opening clash against the USA.
