Puri: Ahead of the opening game of a five-match T20I series against South Africa, Team India coach Gautam Gambhir along with three cricketers – Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar, and Hardik Pandya – visited Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri on Tuesday.
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav along with his wife was also in the Pilgrim town to seek blessings of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Balabhadra.
The players, accompanied by tight security, were escorted by police to ensure a smooth darshan of the deities. Suryakumar greeted devotees with “Jai Jagannath” at Singhadwar, before entering the temple.
Meanwhile, servitors also lit deepas (sacred lamps) at the 12th-century shrine, offering prayers to Lord Jagannath for India’s victory in the scheduled T20 match against South Africa. The high-voltage clash is set to take place at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack at 7 pm.
This is the first time the two sides will face each other in the shortest format since the 2024 T20 World Cup final, which Rohit Sharma led Team India won by seven runs. This series also signals the team’s preparation for 2026 T20 World Cup in the sub-continent in February next year.
What happened at Barabati a decade ago?
South Africa’s outing at the same venue exactly a decade ago, however, was not a pleasant one. Though they won that match – the second T20 International against India on October 5, 2015 –to seal the three-match series, their admirable feat got overshadowed by unsavoury incidents involving the crowd.
The venue descended into chaos as frustrated home fans, reeling from a dismal performance by the hosts with MS Dhoni’s star-studded batting line-up falling like a pack of cards to be 92 all out in 17.2 overs, unleashed their anger by hurling bottles and debris onto the field.
The incident not only disrupted play twice, but also sparked widespread condemnation, raising serious questions about spectator behaviour, stadium security, and the pressures on players in high-stakes home games.
Not more than a 100 people in a crowd of around 40,000 was guilty that night, but it was Cuttack and Odisha which got a bad name.
