Suryakumar Yadav Seeks Blessings at Tirumala Temple on Vaikuntha Ekadashi

They prayed to Lord Venkateswara and passed through the Vaikuntha Dwaram (celestial gate) as the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) officials made arrangements for their darshan and facilitated their visit to the temple on the hill.

Their visit received a warm reception from both devotees and temple staff. Wearing traditional clothing, they engaged in the rituals humbly, showcasing the strong cultural and spiritual bonds that many Indian athletes uphold despite their busy professional lives.

This morning, they had darshan of the Lord. Following the darshan, the priests blessed them in the Ranganayakulavari Mandapam inside the temple. They then offered the Tirtha Prasadam and presented the Lord's vestments.

Suryakumar's most recent outing for India was in the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa, where he led the Men in Blue to a 3-1 victory against the Proteas. He'll next be seen leading the side in the five T20Is against New Zealand in January 2026, which will serve as a preparatory series for both sides before they head into the T20 World Cup, scheduled to begin February 7.

India will enter the tournament as defending champions, having won the T20 World Cup in 2024 in Barbados after defeating South Africa in the final.

India's squad for the T20 World Cup and New Zealand T20 series: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper).

- IANS