WATCH: Gautam Gambhir seeks divine blessing at Kamakhya temple ahead of England tour

Indian cricket coach Gautam Gambhir visited the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati recently. The 43-year-old was seen praying intently, seeking blessings ahead of the huge tour of England starting in a few weeks. Gambhir is set to leave for England early, along with the India A side, to help with the preparations for the five-match Test series. 

VIDEO | Guwahati, Assam: Indian Cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir visits Kamakhya Temple; offers prayers.

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Recent retirements of stalwarts like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have put pressure on Gambhir ahead of the massive tour. The likes of Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh have got their maiden call-up to the Test side. Shubman Gill has replaced Rohit Sharma as the new captain of the Test side. 

Karun Nair, who enjoyed a terrific domestic season, has finally gotten his international recall after seven years. Veteran all-rounder Shardul Thakur has also been included thanks to his amazing show with the bat and ball in the Ranji Trophy season. One of the notable names missing is Mohammed Shami. The 34-year-old was ignored due to fitness concerns. 

Former India selector calls out Gautam Gambhir over team selection 

The recent Indian squad selected for the English tour hasn’t gone down well with former India player and chief selector Kiran More. The 62-year-old wasn’t happy with the lack of preparedness by the selectors and also coach Gautam Gambhir ahead of a huge tour. India’s preparation for the tour was hampered by the retirement of their two stalwart batters. 

Speaking on Jio Hotstar ‘Follow the blues’ program, More said, “First thing, I'm surprised. The whole selection committee and the coach should've thought about this, that this transition was going to come. Now, suddenly, everybody has woken up, and now they're asking who should be the next captain. They should've been prepared. I feel we haven't prepared for one and a half years. This is a big wake-up call for us.”

Former India pacer Atul Wassan has backed the selectors' decision to give Shubman Gill the Test captaincy. The 25-year-old is set to become the 37th and also the fifth youngest Test captain of the Indian cricket team. Atul Wassan said that the decision to name Gill the new Test captain was the right move because the 25-year-old is a regular in all three formats.