Indian cricketers visit Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain after Indore T20I victory

A small group of Indian cricketers offered prayers at the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain after the second T20I win over Afghanistan at Holkar Stadium in Indore on January 14. The temple has a unique ritual named 'Bhasma Aarti' and the cricketers Ravi Bishnoi, Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar, and Jitesh Sharma went to attend it. The rite is the most special among the aartis of Lord Shiva.  

Three of the four players played the second game against Afghanistan, with only Tilak being benched. During the match, Bishnoi picked up two crucial wickets dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Mohammad Nabi. Sundar, on the other hand, went wicketless in his three overs while Jitesh Sharma was sent back for a two-ball duck. Meanwhile in the Mohali T20I, Bishnoi and Sundar did not pick any wickets. However, Tilak and Jitesh had contributed significantly, scoring 26 and 31, respectively. 

Here is the video of four cricketers attending the Bhasma Aarti:

#WATCH | Madhya Pradesh | Indian cricketers Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar, Jitesh Sharma & Ravi Bishnoi attend 'Bhasma Aarti' performed at Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain. pic.twitter.com/PGYyiS809h

— ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) January 14, 2024

India beat Afghanistan by six wickets in second T20I, seal series

Speaking of the clash, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube led the charge for India while chasing a competitive 173-run target in Indore. Jaiswal scored 68 off 34 balls while also stitching a 92-run partnership with Dube before being dismissed by Karim Janat in the 13th over. However, Dube continued his power-hitting and remained unbeaten on 63 off 32 balls as the Rohit Sharma-led side won the game with six wickets and 26 balls to spare. Virat Kohli also made a significant contribution as he hit 29 off just 16 balls.

Earlier, Gulbadin Naib powered the Afghanistan innings when all other batters failed to impress. He amassed 57 off 35 deliveries, including five boundaries and four maximums. Arshdeep Singh was the pick of bowlers for India, picking up a three-wicket haul for 32. Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi finished with excellent figures of 2/17 and 2/39 while Dube bagged one.