Ujjain: Former India captain and batting stalwart Virat Kohli, along with spinner Kuldeep Yadav and fielding coach T Dilip, visited the Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain on Saturday to seek blessings of Lord Shiva and also attended the Bhasma Aarti on Saturday.
The two cricketers also attended Bhasma Aarti. Kohli was also felicitated by the Mahakaleshwar Temple management committee.
“It was a very good experience, and the entire team came here. It always feels good to have darshan of Lord Mahakaal. By His grace, everything is going well, and I hope that God continues to shower his blessings on everyone and that everyone’s life goes well. It was a very good experience today,” Kuldeep told IANS.
On Friday, head coach Gautam Gambhir and wicketkeeper batter KL Rahul also offered prayers at one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva.
Gambhir, Rahul and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak also attended the 4:00 AM Bhasma Aarti.
Team India is set to play in the third and deciding ODI against New Zealand at the Holkar Cricket Stadium on Sunday, after the visitors levelled the three-match series by preventing India from taking an unassailable lead in the second ODI at Rajkot.
After clinching a thrilling four-wicket win in the series opener at Vadodara, India entered the second ODI with momentum but suffered a comprehensive seven-wicket defeat against Michael Bracewell’s New Zealand.
Earlier this week, Virat Kohli regained the top spot in the ICC ODI batting rankings, overtaking former India captain Rohit Sharma. However, his first appearance after reclaiming the number-one ranking resulted in a modest 23 off 29 balls. Despite that, Kohli etched his name in the record books by becoming India’s highest run-scorer against New Zealand in ODI history.
Across 35 ODIs against the Kiwis, Kohli has amassed 1,773 runs at an impressive average of 55.4, including six centuries and 10 half-centuries, with a highest score of 154. He surpassed Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 1,750 runs in 42 matches at an average of 46.05, with five hundreds and eight fifties.
(IANS)
