India will take on England in the first T20I of their five-match home series on Wednesday at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, and the team’s chief coach Gautam Gambhir visited the Kali Temple in Kalighat a day before the match to seek the almighty’s blessings.
India will shift its focus from red ball to white-ball cricket, after losing the five-Test Border Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Gambhir shares a special bond with Kolkata, having won the Indian Premier League thrice for Kolkata Knight Riders – twice as the team’s captain in 2012 and 2014, and once as the mentor in 2024.
In a video going viral on social media, Gambhir was seen offering prayers at the temple.
WATCH VIDEO

Coming to the series, veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami will make his India comeback since getting injured in the ODI World Cup final against Australia in November 2023.
India will be led by Suryakumar Yadav, who took over as the T20I captain after Rohit Sharma quit from T20Is following the World Cup in June last year.
After the series-opener in Kolkata, the next four T20Is will be played in Chennai, Rajkot, Pune and Mumbai respectively.
The T20I series will be followed by three ODIs, after which the Indian team will be seen in action in the 50-over Champions Trophy beginning February 19.