Gautam Gambhir turned to faith once more, visiting the revered Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai on Thursday. As the T20 World Cup 2026 looms large starting February 7, the head coach sought Lord Ganesha’s favor for Team India’s victorious run in the marquee event jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Gambhir’s spiritual sojourns have marked his coaching calendar. Pre-New Zealand ODIs, he was at Baglamukhi Temple; Ujjain’s Mahakaleshwar followed, and Kamakhya Devi received his obeisance during T20Is. These visits reflect a coach who marries strategy with spirituality.
India’s form is electric. The 4-1 T20 series rout of New Zealand set the tone, amplified by a stellar warm-up win against South Africa. Gambhir’s blueprint is yielding results.
Handpicked as head coach in 2024, Gambhir delivered the Asia Cup and revolutionized T20 execution. His no-nonsense style has galvanized the team.
India opens against USA on February 7, meets Namibia on the 12th, and eyes the high-octane Pakistan face-off on the 15th—clouded by Islamabad’s reluctance to permit participation. The league concludes versus Netherlands on February 18.
Boasting captain Suryakumar Yadav, the squad depth is enviable: Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh. With divine winds at their backs, India’s World Cup dreams burn brighter.