Shree Siddhi Vinayak Ganapati Temple: Members of the Indian cricket team and support staff on Saturday visited Shree Siddhivinayak Temple to seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha ahead of their T20 World Cup campaign opener against the USA, scheduled to take place at the iconic Wankhede Stadium.
Spin duo Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy were accompanied by the team's fielding coach T Dilip. Shree Siddhi Vinayak Ganapati Temple Nyasa trustee Mahesh Mudaliyar, Executive Officer Veena Patil and Deputy Executive Officer Sandeep Rathod were also present. The trio was also presented with a memento by the temple authorities.
On Thursday, head coach Gautam Gambhir also visited the Shree Siddhivinayak Temple and sought blessings from Lord Ganesha.
India, who are placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA, begin their campaign at the Wankhede against USA. Suryakumar Yadav-led side are aiming to become the first team in history to successfully defend the ICC Men's T20 World Cup title and also the first team to win the trophy on home soil.
India are a popular pick as tournament favourites, coming off scintillating form that has seen them win 48 of their last 56 T20I games dating back to October 2023. And more recently, producing a dominant series win against New Zealand.
They have found unprecedented consistency despite the format’s high-variance nature, off the back of the country’s rich talent stocks, but also squad-wide buy-in of the team’s recent philosophical pivot where they have successfully implemented an immensely aggressive approach.
India are a popular pick as tournament favourites, coming off scintillating form that has seen them win 48 of their last 56 T20I games dating back to October 2023. And more recently, producing a dominant series win against New Zealand.
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The last time India played the USA in the T20 World Cup 2024 at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, the Men in Blue secured a thumping seven wicket win over the then hosts USA, with Suryakumar scoring an unbeaten 50.