Anil Kumble arrives in Lucknow ahead of Ram Mandir's Pran Pratishtha ceremony, Venkatesh Prasad already in Ayodhya

The entire nation is eagerly waiting for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Mandir to get underway on Monday, January 22 in Ayodhya city of U.P State. The fervour among the people for the consecration of the temple is at its highest as several eminent personalities of the country are expected to attend the event. Ahead of the ceremony, former India cricketer and head coach Anil Kumble was also spotted in Lucknow, the capital of UP along with his wife.

Also Read: Complete list of cricketers invited to Ram Mandir's Pran Pratishtha Ceremony

The former leg spinner arrived at the Lucknow Airport earlier today and greeted everyone with ‘Namaste’. Apart from him, former India fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad is also in the holy city of Ayodhya and shared glimpses of the preparations ahead of the mega event. The 54-year-old expressed his elation to witness an ‘event of a lifetime’ and shared photographs with his fans.

Prasad took to Twitter and wrote, “Jai Shree Ram. What a moment. All in readiness to witness an event of a lifetime. One of our most significant days. Whole of Ayodhya and the majority of our nation pulsating with joy. Ayodhyapati Shree Ramchandra ji ki Jai.”

Meanwhile, apart from Kumble and Prasad, several other cricketers have been also invited to the Pran Pratishtha ceremony such as legendary India cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Gautam Gambhir.

Virat Kohli likely to attend ceremony in Ayodhya

Apart from them, current members of the Indian team such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin have been also invited. Indian women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur has been also extended the invitation for the sacred event.

Also Read: Reports: BCCI grants permission to Virat Kohli for attending Ram Mandir consecration ceremony

Among the Indian men’s cricket team members, star India batter Virat Kohli is expected to attend the event and has been reportedly granted permission by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India). Kohli, who’s currently in Hyderabad to prepare for the upcoming five-match Test series against England is expected to fly to Ayodhya and return on January 23 to participate in the Test series beginning from January 25.