India, Feb 09 : Head coach Gautam Gambhir hosted the Indian cricket team for a special dinner at his New Delhi residence on Sunday, offering the squad a moment of camaraderie ahead of their upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup fixture against Namibia on February 12 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
BCCI Vice President Rajiv Shukla attended the informal gathering, which came as the players continued preparations for their second group stage encounter.
India opened their campaign with a convincing victory over the United States at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on February 7. Posting 161 for 9 after being put in to bat, the side recovered from early setbacks with captain Suryakumar Yadav steering the innings through an unbeaten 84 off 49 deliveries. Contributions from Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma further strengthened the total, while Shadley van Schalkwyk and Harmeet Singh were among the wickets for the USA.
The American chase showed resilience but concluded at 132 for 8, handing India a 29 run triumph. Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, and Shubham Ranjane attempted to keep the contest alive, yet India’s bowling unit led by Mohammed Siraj, Axar Patel, and Arshdeep Singh delivered timely breakthroughs to close out the match.
With an early win boosting confidence, the reigning champions will aim to extend their strong start when they face Namibia in the capital. The dinner was viewed as an opportunity to strengthen team spirit as the tournament gathers pace.