The Indian women's cricket team, which recently lifted the ICC Women's World Cup 2025, marked the first day of 2026 with a spiritual sojourn to the revered Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.
The team members participated in the ethereal Bhasm Aarti ceremony and offered prayers to usher in the new year. The team recently won the five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka by 5-0, capping off a triumphant 2025.
Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, and Renuka Singh Thakur, flanked by Sneh Rana, Radha Yadav, and Arundhati Reddy, were seen at the hallowed Mahakaleshwar temple.
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#WATCH | Ujjain, MP | Members of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team offer prayers at the at Mahakaleshwar Temple on the first day of #NewYear2026 pic.twitter.com/5CEv1ksHhJ
— ANI (@ANI) January 1, 2026
India's dominant campaign in Sri Lanka topped in a resounding 5-0 whitewash, with the team registering a thrilling 15-run triumph in the fifth and final T20I in Thiruvananthapuram.
Underscoring the progress of Indian women in the shortest format, the triumph marked India's third 5-0 series sweep in T20 Internationals, following previous whitewashes against the West Indies in 2019 and Bangladesh earlier in 2024.
Fresh from their ODI World Cup victory on home soil, where they drowned South Africa in the final, India now sets its sights on conquering the T20 World Cup 2026.
The World Cup victory also underscored a crowning moment for head coach Amol Muzumdar and captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Muzumdar, a domestic legend without an international cap and a captain who made her India debut back in 2009, finally delivered the country's long-awaited dream.
India's blueprint to the T20 World Cup 2026 is taking shape, with crucial series against Australia in February 2026 and England in May 2026 set to test their mettle.