The Indian team’s Tuesday evening practice session ahead of the T20 World Cup semi-final against England was delayed by about an hour and a half. According to news agency PTI, Team India started their training session about an hour and a half late due to the lunar eclipse. The BCCI had previously announced in a release that the team would practice from 6 to 9 pm at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, but the players arrived at the ground around 7:20 pm. Some support staff members did arrive on time. The head coach and players waited for the lunar eclipse to end. The entire team arrived at the ground about 80 minutes late. Some media reports suggest the delay was due to the lunar eclipse. However, the team management has not issued a statement on this matter. Religious beliefs consider it appropriate to stay indoors during a lunar eclipse rather than going out. The intensity of the floodlights was also kept low. The stadium management switched on the floodlights at around 6:50 pm, but they were not initially lit at full capacity. When it was time for the players to arrive, the lights were fully turned on. Before this, the support staff inspected the condition of the pitch and outfield. India will face England in the semi-finals of this World Cup on March 5th. As defending champions, the Indian team is under pressure to defend the title. Dew plays a significant role on the Wankhede pitch at night. The delay in practice allowed the players to practice in dewy conditions, which could be beneficial for the match. Abhishek faced off-spinners and leg-spinners.
Wankhede Stadium is very special for Abhishek Sharma. Exactly a year ago, on this very ground, he played a stormy innings of 135 runs in just 54 balls against England. Although Abhishek has been struggling to find his aggressive rhythm in the current tournament, his 55 against Zimbabwe showed signs of returning to form. On Tuesday, under the supervision of batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, he practiced extensively against spinners. Considering their weaknesses, they were specifically trained against off-spin and leg-spinners. Hardik practiced long shots for two hours, while Arshdeep bowled yorkers.
Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya put in the most effort during the practice session. He spent nearly two hours in the nets practicing long shots. Meanwhile, fast bowler Arshdeep Singh was seen practicing yorkers. Tilak Verma and Ishan Kishan also faced fast and spin bowling for over an hour. Tilak showcased his power-hitting skills by hitting a slog sweep against Kuldeep Yadav and a straight six against Varun Chakravarthy.
India reached the semi-finals after defeating West Indies. Team India secured its place in the semi-finals by defeating West Indies by 5 wickets in a must-win Super 8 match played in Kolkata on March 1. West Indies, batting first, scored 195 for 4. In response, India won the match by scoring 199 for 5 in 19.2 overs. Sanju Samson was the hero of India’s victory. He scored an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls, hitting 12 fours and four sixes. Tilak Varma also played a quickfire innings of 27 off 15 balls. ————————————— Also read this news… Lunar eclipse ends, temples reopen after purification: Half moon visible in Kolkata, Holi celebrations during Bhasma Aarti at Ujjain’s Mahakaleshwar Temple
The first lunar eclipse of 2026 has ended. The lunar eclipse began at 3:21 pm on Tuesday (March 3, 2026) and lasted until 6:47 pm. The lunar eclipse was first visible in eastern India. In Kolkata, the full moon was partially visible due to the eclipse. After the eclipse ended, deities were bathed in temples. The temples reopened after the Shringar and Bhoga Aarti. Full story: RCB will return to Chinnaswamy Stadium: 5 home matches will be held in Bengaluru, 2 in Raipur; 11 people lost their lives during the victory celebrations. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will once again return to their home ground. The team will play five of their seven home matches in IPL 2026 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, while the remaining two will be held at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. Full story
