Ahead of the highly anticipated second ODI between India and England at Cuttack, the players of the Indian cricket team met for divine benedictions on Saturday at Jagannath Temple in Puri. The cricketers will take to Barabati Cricket Stadium on Sunday, February 9, ahead of the crunch game.

Other players in this list include the spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, a player of Kolkata Knight Riders, Washington Sundar, the all-rounder of Chennai Super Kings and Axar Patel, a left-arm spinner of Delhi Capitals. Amidst the congested schedules of the cricketers, these cricketers have made the time to offer their prayers to the Lord Jagannath for strength and prosperity before the match.

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The temple visit was carried out under tight security on the morning side, which ensures a hassle-free experience for players. They got back to Bhubaneswar, where Team India had been stationed to play the second ODI against England.

Both teams, India and England, landed in Bhubaneswar on Friday evening. They were greeted warmly at the airport and escorted to a five-star hotel in the city. The teams will be allowed access to Barabati Stadium to practice on Saturday, which is their last session before the encounter.

India is presently ahead in the series by 1-0, which it won after successfully chasing down a target of 249 from the English team in just 38.4 overs, riding on well-crafted half-centuries by Shubman Gill (87), Shreyas Iyer (59), and Axar Patel (52) against England at Nagpur.

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This opening ODI saw two young, exciting batsmen Yashasvi Jaiswal and Harshit Rana get a feel of international action with an ODI debut for the duo while seasoned batsman Virat Kohli could not be seen at the ground today because swelling had surfaced in his right knee, though it was hoped that the swelling may ease, allowing him to participate in the next match.