Cricket and Spirituality: When Gambhir recited ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ and Kohli chanted ‘Om Namah Shivay’

PTI, Sep 18, 2024, 4:58 PM IST

New Delhi: They are both quintessential Delhiites with an aggressive streak to deal with intense situations but when it comes to the extraordinary, both India head coach Gautam Gambhir and star batter Virat Kohli find inner strength from their faith in the divine.

As they sat down for a rather unconventional chat, curated by the BCCI for its official website, Kohli and Gambhir dwelled on the many similarities they have and as it turns out, faith in almighty is one of them.

When Gambhir was trying to save a Test match against New Zealand in Napier a decade and a half back, he recalled how ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ helped him find the resolve to play that epic knock that was spread over two days.

Similarly, in 2014, Kohli hit four Test hundreds Down Under and he would pay his obeisance to Lord Shiva by chanting ‘Om Namah Shivay’ while batting.

Gambhir was the one to reveal this during his interview by Kohli when the conversation turned to spirituality.

“Let’s talk about a few moments in India-Australia series. The most special one will be the double hundred in our home. I want to talk about the mindset of the innings. What keeps you grounded and anchored?” Kohli quizzed his coach during the bcci.tv podcast.

“Instead of talking about me, I remember when you had that bumper series in Australia, where you scored heaps and heaps of runs, you were telling me that you kept saying ‘Om Namah Shivay’ before every delivery. And that got you in that zone,” Gambhir responded as Kohli nodded in agreement.

Gambhir batted for nearly two days and half a session for his 136. He faced 436 balls and the duration of his innings was 10 hours and 43 minutes.

It was about saving India from the ignominy of an innings defeat after New Zealand, having piled 600 plus first innings total, enforced a follow-on India. The visitor had managed 305 in their first innings.

“For me, that’s exactly what happened (in zone) when I played in Napier. I batted for two-and-half days,” Gambhir said.

“I don’t think I could have ever done that again. The only thing I did for those two-and-a-half days was listen to Hanuman Chalisa.

“For me, getting into that zone, you got there by chanting Om Namah Shivay, for me, I got into that zone by listening to Hanuman Chalisa. When I talk about being in that zone, very few times in your career, you can be in that zone. It’s divine to be in that zone.” Gambhir shared a 133-run stand for the second wicket with Rahul Dravid, 97 for the third wicket with Sachin Tendulkar and 96 for the fourth wicket with VVS Laxman.

“I remember Laxman telling me when I was batting on Day 5 in Napier. After that first session, when I was walking back, he told me ‘Do you realise you have not uttered a word for the last two hours, even between overs’? I realised that I did not say a word.

“All I did between overs was nod and play, and when I got back, I put on Hanuman Chalisa and listened to it. For those two-and-half-days, it was like completely zoned out.

“I am sure you must have experienced this many more times than I did. Unless and until you are in that zone, you won’t understand how it feels,” the feisty southpaw of yesteryears said.