TIRUPATI: Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Thursday offered prayers at Lord Balaji Temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirumala and expressed hope that with the prayers of the 140 crore Indians, Men in Blue will emerge as the victorious team in the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup.
Gambhir reached Tirumala in the wee hours of Thursday with his family and temple authorities offered him “srivari prasadam.”
The former opener said India stands a decent chance of taking home the trophy at the 2023 Cricket World Cup. He also believes that with the prayers of 140 crore Indians, Men in Blue would win the World Cup.
“All of us wish India the very best. I am sure with 140 crore Indians praying for the team, they will definitely do a very good job and India has a very good chance of winning the World Cup,” Gambhir told media after his visit to Tirumala.
The 41-year-old is currently the mentor of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
India will begin their ODI World Cup campaign against Australia on October 8 at Chennai. The 15-member squad will be led by Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya acting as his deputy.
The eagerly-awaited contest between India and Pakistan will be held in Ahmedabad on October 14.
Meanwhile, the World Cup will commence on October 5 when 2019 finalists England and New Zealand clash at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with the event culminating in the final at the same venue on November 19. (ANI)