Gautam Gambhir Visits Mahakaleshwar Temple Ahead of Crucial ODI Decider
Gautam Gambhir's Temple Visit
On Friday, Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of the Indian Men's Cricket Team, visited the famous Mahakaleshwar Temple located in Ujjain. This visit coincided with the ongoing three-match ODI series between India and New Zealand. During his time at the temple, Gambhir participated in the Bhasma Aarti and offered his prayers at one of the twelve Jyotirlingas dedicated to Lord Shiva.
After completing his darshan, Gambhir commended the arrangements made for the devotees, expressing his contentment with how the rituals were conducted. He mentioned, "The arrangements were excellent, and the darshan went smoothly. I look forward to returning soon."
Overview of the India vs New Zealand ODI Series
Gambhir's visit comes just before the pivotal third ODI in the series, which is currently tied at 1-1. This sets the stage for an exciting final match between the two teams.
India kicked off the series with an exhilarating four-wicket win against New Zealand in the first ODI held in Vadodara. However, New Zealand bounced back in the second ODI at Rajkot, achieving a convincing seven-wicket victory to level the series.
Recap of the Second ODI
In the second ODI, India batted first and scored a total of 284 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their allotted 50 overs. Captain Shubman Gill contributed 56 runs off 53 balls, hitting nine fours and one six. Rohit Sharma added 24 runs from 38 balls, while Virat Kohli scored 23 runs off 29 balls, including two boundaries. Notably, wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul achieved his eighth ODI century, finishing with an impressive 112 runs not out from 92 balls, featuring 11 fours and one six.
For New Zealand, the bowling attack included Kyle Jamieson (1/70), Zakary Foulkes (1/67), Kristian Clarke (3/56), Jayden Lennox (1/42), and captain Michael Bracewell (1/34).
Chasing a target of 285 runs, Will Young played a remarkable innings, scoring 87 runs off 98 balls with seven fours. He formed a crucial 162-run partnership with Daryl Mitchell, who remained unbeaten with 131 runs off 117 balls, including 11 fours and two sixes, leading New Zealand to their highest successful ODI chase in India. For India, Harshit Rana (1/52), Prasidh Krishna (1/49), and Kuldeep Yadav (1/82) were among the wicket-takers.