Ajinkya Rahane seeks blessings from Lord Ganesh as 3rd ODI looms around

Indian opener Ajinkya Rahane was spotted at the famous Khajrana temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha in Indore on Saturday. While Rahane was spotted at the temple, the rest of the Indian team was having a good time at the team hotel in Indore ahead of the third ODI against Australia at the Holkar Stadium.

The right-handed batsman is an ardent devotee of the Khajrana temple, and in the past has been visiting the temple whenever he has been in Indore as a part of the Indian team. Rahane has taken part in the prayers and also has sought blessings from the Lord every time. However, his teammate and close friend Rohit Sharma could not pay a visit to the temple.

Fascinatingly enough, Ganesha carries a special connect to cricket as the Khajrana Ganesh is known as ‘Super Selector’ as in the past several cricketers have visited the shrine and afterwards also found a spot in the national squad. However, amidst the selection troubles, the 29-year-old has played his part to be selected in the team ahead of the likes of KL Rahul with Manish Pandey finding a place in the middle order.

Rahane is set open for the team and will carry a lot of confidence from his innings in Kolkata the other day where he stitched a 100 plus partnership alongside skipper Virat Kohli. Among other celebrity visitors to the temple are the former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir and southpaw Suresh Raina to name a few.

India, unbeaten at Holkar Stadium

The Holkar Stadium is known for its lightning quick outfield and as a high scoring pitch. It is expected to aid the team that bats first, with spin being a key factor during the second innings of the game.

Having played four ODIs at the venue, Team India has managed to win all of them, two against England (2006 & 2008), one each against West Indies (2011) and South Africa (2015. This includes Virender Sehwag’s blistering knock of 219 against Windies in 2011.

The Indian team is leading the series 2-0 and will be eager to wrap up the series with a victory in Indore.