Gautam Gambhir seeks blessings at Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala with family ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 Tests [Watch]

On Sunday, May 18, Gautam Gambhir, head coach of India's men's cricket team, visited the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh, to offer prayers alongside his family. The 43-year-old cricketer was accompanied by his wife, Natasha Jain, and their two daughters, Aazeen and Anaiza Gambhir.

This visit comes just days after Gambhir and his wife were seen at Mumbai's Siddhivinayak Temple on Thursday, May 15, where the couple sought blessings together.

Fans can watch the video of their visit here:

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Gautam Gambhir was last in the spotlight when India won the 2025 Champions Trophy under his coaching. His next assignment is India’s upcoming tour of England for a five-match Test series, starting June 20 at Headingley Carnegie in Leeds.

Ahead of the tour, the 43-year-old will be involved in several crucial decisions alongside the selection committee, as regular skipper Rohit Sharma and veteran batter Virat Kohli have retired from Test cricket.

With both stalwarts stepping away from red-ball cricket, India will need to appoint a new Test captain and identify a reliable opener and middle-order batter to fill the void left by Rohit and Kohli.

A look at Gautam Gambhir’s coaching record so far with the Indian cricket team

Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach of the Indian cricket team on July 9, 2024, succeeding Rahul Dravid. Since then, his tenure has seen a mix of highs and lows across formats. In T20Is, the team has performed exceptionally well under his guidance, winning 10 out of 11 matches — an impressive winning percentage of 90.91%.

In the 50-over format, India has also fared well, winning 8 out of 11 matches, with two losses and one tie, resulting in a winning percentage of 72.73%. Notably, this includes India's triumph in the 2025 Champions Trophy, a major highlight of Gambhir’s stint so far.

However, Gambhir’s stint in Test cricket has been far more challenging. India has played 10 Tests under his guidance, managing only three victories while suffering six defeats and drawing once. The team endured a 3-0 whitewash at home against New Zealand, followed by a 3-1 series loss to Australia in the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, failing to retain the prestigious title.

About the author

Dev is a cricket writer at Sportskeeda with over 2 years of experience. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has previously worked at Times Now as a sports writer. He played cricket in the Delhi Little Cricket League in 2016, and was among the Top 50 batters in the U-16 category.

His degree has empowered him with a good understanding of ethics in journalism and effective interviewing techniques, which he employs in his articles. He researches and verifies facts from multiple sources and remains impartial in his viewpoints. He has had the privilege of interviewing renowned sports journalist Vijay Lokapally.

Dev loves cricket because of its ability to keep spectators on the edge of their seats and its ability to foster a sense of community and shared passion. He is a staunch supporter of the Indian cricket team and his favorite cricketer is Yuvraj Singh, especially after he hit those iconic six sixes in an over in 2007. He also admires Rohit Sharma’s leadership as he led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles and Team India to the T20 World Cup.

When he’s not working, Dev enjoys watching football or catching up on his sleep.

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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer