In a move blending cricket and spirituality, Gautam Gambhir, Team India’s head coach, arrived at Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak Temple on Thursday. With the T20 World Cup 2026 set to ignite from February 7, Gambhir bowed before Bappa, imploring divine intervention for his team’s success in the India-Sri Lanka co-hosted extravaganza.
Gambhir’s temple trail is well-documented. He kicked off the New Zealand ODI series with a visit to Maa Baglamukhi in Madhya Pradesh, dashed to Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain mid-tour, and wrapped the T20 leg with rituals at Kamakhya. This pattern underscores his belief in faith as a performance booster.
The Indian juggernaut is in top gear. A resounding 4-1 T20 series win over New Zealand preceded a commanding warm-up victory over South Africa on Wednesday. Gambhir’s charges are primed and battle-ready.
Since taking the helm in 2024, Gambhir has scripted success stories. The Asia Cup conquest last year was just the appetizer; he’s since elevated India’s T20 prowess to championship levels.
Tournament fixtures see India facing USA first on February 7, then Namibia on the 12th. The February 15 India-Pakistan thriller hangs in balance amid Pakistan’s governmental no-go. Netherlands await on February 18 to close the league phase.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav leads a formidable lineup: Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Harshit Rana, and the fearsome bowling attack of Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, and Arshdeep Singh. Gambhir’s spiritual recharge could be the X-factor in India’s World Cup quest.