Thiruvananthapuram buzzes with anticipation as India prepares to face New Zealand in the decisive fifth T20I at Greenfield Stadium. Before stepping onto the field, the Indian cricket team made a heartfelt visit to the iconic Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, seeking divine blessings for the crucial encounter.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav led the squad, joined by all-rounder Axar Patel, Rinku Singh, spinner Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Ravi Bishnoi. Dressed in traditional attire, the players offered prayers amidst the temple’s serene ambiance, a ritual that has become a pre-match tradition for the Men in Blue.
This spiritual detour follows a similar visit to the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Temple in Visakhapatnam before the fourth T20I. Head coach Gautam Gambhir has also embraced this custom, recently paying respects at the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain and Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati during the white-ball series against New Zealand.
On the field, India has dominated the T20I series after a 1-2 ODI series loss. They stormed to victory in the first match by 48 runs, followed by a seven-wicket triumph in the second and an eight-wicket rout in the third, securing an unassailable lead. New Zealand fought back in the fourth game, clinching a 50-run win, but India now aims to seal the series 4-1.
Suryakumar Yadav tops the run charts with 179 runs at an average of 89.50 across four matches. Abhishek Sharma (152 runs) and Ishan Kishan (112 runs) have also shone brightly, fueling India’s batting firepower.
This series triumph injects fresh momentum into the defending T20 World Cup champions as they gear up for the 2026 edition, starting February 7. Placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, USA, Namibia, and Netherlands, India kicks off against the USA, setting the stage for another global campaign.