Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Wednesday, 22 January 2025
With Team India reeling under a string of poor results in recent months, head coach Gautam Gambhir sought divine intervention to turn the tide on Tuesday and offered prayers at the Kalighat temple in Kolkata, ahead of the five-match T20I series against England.
The white-ball contest kicks off on Wednesday at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, before transitioning to a three-match ODI series next month.
The ODI matches will serve as critical preparation for the Champions Trophy, scheduled to begin on February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai. India, led by Rohit Sharma, will open their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh on February 20, with all their matches set to be played in Dubai.
Since taking over as India’s head coach from Rahul Dravid, Gambhir has struggled to deliver consistent results. His tenure began with a ODI bilateral series loss to Sri Lanka (2-0) in August 2024, marking India’s first series defeat to Sri Lanka in 27 years. This was followed by a crushing 3-0 home Test series loss to New Zealand in November 2024—the first such defeat in 12 years—and the failure to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade.
Since the announcement of India’s Champions Trophy squad, head coach Gautam Gambhir, the BCCI, and the selection committee have faced sharp criticism and intense scrutiny from both experts and fans.
As Gambhir and the team prepare to face Jos Buttler's England, fans hope this T20 series marks the start of a turnaround. The Eden Gardens crowd will be watching closely as the Men in Blue aim to restore their winning ways under Gambhir’s stewardship.
