Upon winning the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav, head coach Gautam Gambhir visited the Shree Siddhivinayak Temple with the trophy on Saturday. India beat New Zealand by 96 runs in the final of the tournament on Sunday, March 8, to script history, becoming the first-ever team to win the title thrice, win it on home soil, and be the only team to defend the crown.
The day marks another important milestone for the Indian skipper, who completed five years in international cricket, having made his debut for Team India on this day, in March 2022, against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the same venue where he lef the Men in Blue to their historic T20 World Cup victory.
The 35-year-old took a moment to reflect on his journey and penned an emotional note on his social media accounts, writing, “5 years ago, a dream turned into reality. Wearing the India jersey is a feeling I can still never fully put into words. Here’s to many more memories that we’re going to create, for team India.”
Earlier on Thursday, Gambhir visited the Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in the national capital to offer prayers, continuing a series of spiritual visits during and after the tournament. Following their Sunday victory and the widespread celebrations across the country, Surya, Gambhir, and Jay Shah went to a Hanuman Temple next to the stadium in Ahmedabad, where they offered prayers and held the trophy.
Gambhir had also visited multiple temples prior to and during the tournament. Before the third T20I against New Zealand in January, he prayed at the Kamakhya Temple. Afterwards, following that match, Gambhir and the Indian team members visited the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Temple before the fourth T20I.
Gambhir, a vital part of India’s victorious 2007 ICC T20 World Cup team, has achieved another milestone by winning the tournament both as a player and as a coach. His recent success places him among a select group of coaches like Rahul Dravid and Lalchand Rajput, who have led India to T20 World Cup victory.