The India National Cricket Team’s journey to ICC Champions Trophy 2025 glory was not just about skill, strategy, determination, and hard work, but it was also about staying grounded amid the excitement. During their stay at Taj Downtown in Dubai, the Indian players were welcomed with traditional aarti and tika after their thrilling group match win over Pakistan.
Recently, Saurabh Tiwary, the area director of the hotel Taj Downtown, spilled the beans on the celebrations at the hotel after the Men in Blue defeated Pakistan by six wickets in their second group match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.
When Gautam Gambhir stopped celebrations after India’s win over Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025
He revealed that the hotel staff welcomed the India National Cricket Team with traditional aarti, but the Indian head coach, Gautam Gambhir, was not pleased with this special arrangement, as he asked them to stop doing aarti and all the stuff the next day after the India-Pakistan match.
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When the hotel staff continued their rituals after India’s thrilling win over Pakistan, Gambhir stepped in and asked them to wait as the job wasn’t done yet. The Indian head coach made it clear that they would celebrate only after securing the trophy.
And when the Men in Blue finally lifted the Champions Trophy in Dubai, he fulfilled his words, as revealed by the manager of Taj Downtown. Notably, the Men in Blue defeated New Zealand by four wickets in the CT 2025 final to lift the Champions Trophy for the third time.
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Saurabh Tiwary told City1016: “They have been doing aarti, tika, and all after the team came back after winning the battle with Pakistan. The next day, one of the top BCCI officials tells us, Guys, please don’t do it because we have not won the trophy. We will do all the celebration after the final, and they did it.”
After the hint pressed by the hosts, he admitted that it was Gautam Gambhir.
Gautam Gambhir set to travel to England with India A team
Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir is likely to join India A’s tour of England, and if he does, he would become the first Indian head coach to do so. After a tough Australia tour, Gambhir is focused on rebuilding the red-ball team and assessing young talent.
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A BCCI source was quoted as saying by Times of India, “Gambhir has been in discussions with the BCCI since he returned from Australia. He has expressed his desire to travel with the India ‘A’ team to get a clearer view of the reserve pool. With India winning the Champions Trophy after Gambhir’s insistence for certain wild card players, one may expect him to assert more in the future.”
The source further added, “One of the crucial issues identified is reviving India ‘A’ tours. There have been only a handful of ‘A’ series after Dravid left NCA, and all of those were shadow tours for a marquee series. Gambhir too believes that there needs to be more ‘A’ tours. That’s why he wants to take stock of the situation firsthand.”
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