[WATCH]- Gautam Gambhir Visits Iconic Kolkata Temple Before IND vs ENG 2025 1st T20I

India‘s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, visited the renowned Kalighat Temple in Kolkata on Tuesday, January 21, to offer prayers ahead of the five-match T20I series against England. The series is set to begin on Wednesday, January 22, with the opening match scheduled at Eden Gardens.

Following the T20Is, India will take on England in a three-match ODI series before turning their attention to the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. India has been drawn in Group A alongside Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand.

Rohit Sharma and his team will kick off their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh on February 20, with all of India’s matches being held in Dubai. Ahead of these important games, Gambhir sought blessings at the iconic Kolkata temple.

You can watch the video here:

https://x.com/pti_news/status/1881630037105098758?s=46

“Just Getting Started with the Team”- McCullum Backs Gambhir Amid Criticism

Since replacing Rahul Dravid as India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir has faced challenges in delivering the expected results. Under his guidance, the Men in Blue suffered a historic 2-0 ODI series defeat to Sri Lanka, ending a 27-year streak, followed by a 3-0 home Test series loss to New Zealand — their first in 12 years.

Most recently, India failed to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a decade. Amid mounting criticism, England head coach Brendon McCullum came to the defense of the 43-year-old during a press conference ahead of the first T20I against India, stating (via Times of India):

“What I will say about Gautam Gambhir is I’ve worked with him before and he’s an outstanding leader. He’s a really strong leader of men and in the time that he’s had in any sort of leadership positions which he’s held previously, he’s been able to excel I’m sure.”

“He’s only just sort of got underway with this team but I have no doubt that he’ll get the best out of the talent that he’s got. And then we’ve (England) got to find a way to be able to counter that with our own style,” he added.

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