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Gautam Gambhir paid a visit to Kalighat temple just like he used to as coach of Kolkata Knight Riders.
Gautam Gambhir ar Kalighat temple (X)
India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir visited the famous Kali Temple at the Kalighat in Kolkata ahead of the five match T20I series against England.
Gambhir has always had a special connection with the city of Kolkata having captained and mentored the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their two Indian Premier League (IPL) titles in 2014 and 2024 respectively. The India head coach was seen taking blessings and praying at the holy temple on the eve of the first game back then.
The Kalighat Kali Temple in Kolkata is regarded as the holiest Shaktipeeth of the 51 Shakti Peethas of India, where the various parts of Devi Sati’s body are said to have fallen, in the course of Shiva’s Rudra Tandava. Kalighat represents the site where the toes of the right foot of Shakti or Sati fell.
WATCH:
VIDEO | Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) offers prayers at Kalighat Temple, #Kolkata.India will play against England in the first match of the T20 series at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, tomorrow. Beginning with the Eden T20I, the two teams will fight it out in a… pic.twitter.com/frPanegCyJ
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 21, 2025
Team India’s T20 series against England gets underway at Eden Gardens, their first series after the embarrassing defeat to Australia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series Down Under.
The Suryakumar Yadav-led team will be bolstered with the return of pace veteran Mohammed Shami ahead of the all-important Champions Trophy, scheduled to start next month. Shami last played for India in the ODI World Cup final against Australia in November 2023. He underwent surgery for a heel injury that ruled him out of the action till November last year when he turned up for his state side Bengal in the Ranji Trophy.
On the other hand, pacer Mark Wood will make his return to the team for the first time since August. He will join Jofra Archer and Jamie Overton in England’s pace-attack as the visitors announced their playing XI for the series opener on Tuesday.
India and England have faced each other 24 times in T20Is, with India holding a slight advantage with 13 wins to England’s 11. However, India have won five of the last seven T20I encounters between the two teams since 2021. Their last T20I clash occurred in the semifinals of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup, where India secured a memorable victory.
After the first T20I in Kolkata the five-match series moves to Chennai, Rajkot, Pune, and Mumbai for the remaining matches with the final T20I being played at the Wankhede Stadium on February 2.
Following the T20I series, the two teams will compete in a three-match ODI series starting at Nagpur on February 6, which will give fans a peek into India’s preparation for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
(With inputs from Agencies)
