Gautam Gambhir and Sitanshu Kotak during their visit to Siddhivinayak Temple. (PTI) India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Thursday visited the Shree Siddhivinayak temple to offer prayers to Lord Ganesha ahead of the team’s T20 World Cup home campaign. Batting coach Sitanshu Hargovindbhai Kotak joined him during the visit. The defending champions begin their title defense on Saturday when they take on the United States of America at the Wankhede Stadium, a venue steeped in Indian cricket history.
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Gambhir has made it a point to seek blessings during the recent tours as well. Earlier in the season, he visited the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati ahead of the third T20I of the five-match series against New Zealand. After this match, Gambhir and the Indian squad also offered prayers at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Temple in Simhachalam, Visakhapatnam, ahead of the fourth T20I. Suryakumar Yadav-led India enter the tournament as one of the heavy favourites. After a successful campaign, the Men in Blue would become the first team to defend the Men’s T20 World Cup title. With no host nation having ever won the trophy, India have a chance to achieve something unprecedented and it would take an extraordinary effort to prevent them from achieving both the monuments. India’s depth and quality in the shortest format sets them apart. This team is generally considered stronger than the team that went undefeated in the USA and West Indies two years ago. Their last defeat in a T20I series 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. The preparation was also thorough. Under Suryakumar’s leadership, India recently claimed five-match T20I series victories over South Africa and New Zealand, further underscoring their grip on 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 bring strong momentum into their opening encounter against the USA.
