New Delhi, Feb 8 Gautam Gambhir, head coach of the Indian men's team, hosted a dinner for the entire squad at his residence ahead of their second Group A match in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in New Delhi on Sunday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajiv Shukla, too, was present at the dinner, according to reports.
Gambhir has organised a dinner for the entire team for the second time in his tenure as head coach. The earlier occasion was during the home Test series against the West Indies last October.
This seems like another team-building exercise by Gautam Gambhir. In Mumbai, Gambhir and many members of the Indian team visited the famous Siddhivinayak temple to offer prayers to Lord Ganesha.
The Indian team had reached New Delhi earlier in the day for their second match in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 against Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Defending champions India started their campaign in the 10th edition of the T20 World Cup with a nervous victory against the United States at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday. India had slumped to 77/6 at one stage before a majestic unbeaten 84 by skipper Suryakumar Yadav, which helped the hosts post a modest total of 161/9 in 20 overs.
India then defended the total with pacer Mohd Siraj, a last-minute replacement for all-rounder Harshit Rana, claiming 3-29 within 24 hours of joining the squad.
Coming into the home World Cup as the defending champions, India are under pressure from the huge expectations for their third title. They suffered a setback on the eve of the opener when all-rounder Harshit Rana had to be withdrawn because of an injury, and the bad news continued as pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah decided to sit out the match with illness.
The impact on the morale showed as the hosts, asked to bat first on a Wankhede pitch that offered early movement on which the ball was gripping and holding, as they slumped to 77/6 against some fine bowling by the USA. But they managed to fight back to start their campaign on a winning note.
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