Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir visits Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain ahead of ODI series decider

UJJAIN: Indian men’s cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir visited the renowned Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain on Friday amid the ongoing India vs New Zealand three-match ODI series. During his visit, Gambhir attended the Bhasma Aarti and offered prayers at one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva.

After completing the darshan at the Mahakaleshwar Temple, Gambhir praised the arrangements made for devotees and expressed satisfaction over the smooth conduct of the rituals. He also expressed his desire to visit the temple again. “The arrangements were great, and the darshan was smooth and I am confident that I will return soon”, the India head coach said after offering prayers.

Indian Men’s Cricket Team Coach Gautam Gambhir attended the sacred Bhasma Aarti at Mahakaleshwar Temple, seeking divine blessings.

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Gambhir’s visit to the Mahakaleshwar Temple comes ahead of the decisive third and final ODI of the ongoing series between India and New Zealand. The three-match ODI series is currently level at 1-1, setting the stage for a closely contested decider between the two sides.

India began the series on a positive note with a thrilling four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the opening ODI at Vadodara. However, the visitors made a strong comeback in the second ODI at Rajkot, registering a comprehensive seven-wicket win to level the series.

Coming to the second ODI match, India posted a competitive 284/7 on the board in 50 overs after being asked to bat first. Captain Shubman Gill scored 56 runs off 53 deliveries, including nine fours and one six. Rohit Sharma made 24 off 38 balls, with the help of four boundaries.

Virat Kohli scored 23 runs off 29 deliveries, including two fours. Wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul slammed his eighth ODI century. He remained unbeaten at 112 runs off 92 balls, along with 11 fours and one six.

With the ball, Kyle Jamieson (1/70), Zakary Foulkes (1/67), Kristian Clarke (3/56), Jayden Lennox (1/42) and captain Michael Bracewell (1/34) were among the wicket takers for New Zealand.

While chasing a target of 285 runs, Will Young played a fantastic knock of 87 runs off 98 deliveries, including seven fours. Young stitched a brilliant 162-run partnership with Daryl Mitchell, who played a match-winning, unbeaten knock of 131 runs off 117 balls, with the help of 11 fours and two sixes as New Zealand chased down their highest successful ODI run chase (285) in India.

For India, Harshit Rana (1/52), Prasidh Krishna (1/49) and Kuldeep Yadav (1/82) were among the wicket-takers. (ANI)