Churu (Rajasthan) [India], April 15 (ANI): Indian men's cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir offered prayers at the Salasar Balaji temple in Churu, Rajasthan, on Wednesday.

Gambhir offered his prayers and wished for the prosperity of the nation. The family of temple priests facilitated the worship ceremony for Lord Balaji and also extended a warm welcome to Gautam Gambhir.

Gautam Gambhir coached the Indian cricket team to victory in the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. The Men in Blue defended their title and made it two back-to-back T20 World Cup wins. The T20 World Cup 2026 win made India the first team to successfully defend the trophy and win it at home.

Gautam Gambhir's next assignment as head coach will be an all-format home series against Afghanistan in June, where they will host the Asian counterparts for a one-off Test and three ODIs. They will then play two T20Is against Ireland in Belfast before beginning the highly anticipated England tour in July.

India will face the Three Lions for a five-match T20I series and then play a three-match ODI series against them.

After the England tour, India will tour Zimbabwe for three T20Is before hosting West Indies for a multi-format series in September-October. They will face West Indies in three ODIs and five T20Is.

Coming to the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who Gambhir has been an integral part of in the past, have struggled to secure a single win in the five matches that they have played so far. Currently, they are positioned last in the IPL 2026 points table.

Gambhir is a defining figure for the KKR franchise, having reshaped the franchise with IPL title wins as captain in 2012 and 2014, and later returning as mentor to steer them to a third championship in 2024.

Following his success as a mentor with the Knight Rider in 2024, Gambhir left the team to become the Head Coach of the Indian national team. (ANI)