Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Viswanathan Anand Among Sports Stars Invited For Ram Temple Inauguration

20.01.2024 - 16:47 sports.ndtv.com

Cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar, chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, sprint queen PT Usha and footballer Bhaichung Bhutia are among the prominent sports personalities invited for the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya next week.

The 500+ state guest list, accessed by PTI, features a mix of politicians, actors, sports stars and industrialists who have been invited for the event on Monday.

Besides Tendulkar, World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev, 'little master' Sunil Gavaskar as well as Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, Virendra Sehwag and Indian cricket coach Rahul Dravid are on the list too.

From the current Indian cricket team, Ravindra Jadeja and Rohit Sharma have been invited. Weightlifter Karnam Malleswari, footballer Kalyan Chaube, long-distance runner Kavita Raut Tungar and paralympic javelin thrower Devendra Jhanjadia have received an invitation as have women cricket captain Mitali Raj, shuttlers Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu and her trainer Pullela Gopichand.

Football cricket Sporting chess sprint Features STARS Rahul Dravid Sachin Tendulkar Anil Kumble Kapil Dev Sunil Gavaskar Viswanathan Anand India

Indian cricket team stalwart Virat Kohli was expected to visit Ayodhya for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Temple on Monday. Kohli did get the invite for the same and was expected to attend the ceremony but only the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Ravindra Jadeja, and a few other cricketers were spotted. The same day, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also revealed that Virat had to pull out of the first two Tests against England, owing to a personal concern. But, there are those claiming that Virat did attend the Consecration of the Ram temple.

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Watch: Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Ravindra Jadeja, Other Sports Stars Reach Ayodhya

Indian cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar, Mithali Raj and Anil Kumble reached Ayodhya for the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of Ram Lalla in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya. Kumble, nicknamed Jumbo, said on the occasion: "It is a wonderful occasion, a very divine occasion. Blessed to be a part of this. It's very historic. Looking forward to seeking blessings from Ram Lalla...". Ravindra Jadeja, part of the current Indian team, also reached Ayodhya on the occasion, as did shuttler Saina Nehwal.

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