[Watch] Team India stars Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel visit Balaji Temple in Tirupati
Team India cricketers Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel visited the Balaji Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, on Friday, November 3, to offer prayers and seek blessings.
On his official Instagram handle, Pant shared pictures from his visit to the iconic temple. Captioning the post, he wrote:
"Not enough words to describe the energy of the place . Didn’t feel like leaving the temple. Unbelievable positive energy & spiritual energy 🤍🤍."
Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel are currently on the sidelines owing to their respective injuries. The two players are completing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, aiming to make a comeback in international cricket.
Pant has remained out of action since being involved in a tragic car crash in December. He suffered multiple injuries in the accident and also underwent a successful knee surgery in Mumbai.
While the wicketkeeper-batter has been recovering well, there hasn't been an official confirmation regarding his cricketing return.
Axar Patel returned to action during the 2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Team India's talismanic all-rounder Axar Patel was part of the 15-member squad for the 2023 World Cup. However, he sustained a left quadriceps strain during the side's Asia Cup match against Bangladesh.
The injury ruled him out of the showpiece event and was replaced by senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Axar made his comeback in the 2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier this month.
Playing for Gujarat in the domestic T20 competition, Axar scored 52 runs off 27 against Railways. He also played in the subsequent fixture but didn't get a chance to bat.
Notably, the southpaw did not feature in the team's preliminary quarter-final against Uttar Pradesh at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.
It remains to be seen if Axar can regain full fitness ahead of India's five-match home T20I series against Australia after the 2023 World Cup.