Mahashivratri Devotees Hold Hawans and Prayers as India Faces Pakistan in T20 World Cup Clash
Devotional fervour and cricket fever converged on Feb. 15, 2026, as thousands gathered at temples and public spaces across India to perform hawan and offer puja for Team India's success in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup fixture against Pakistan, which began at 7: 00 PM ET.
Scenes of prayer from Bihar to Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand
Visuals from Patna showed groups of fans praying together, lighting incense and performing rituals to seek blessings for India. In Gorakhpur, large numbers of devotees visited Shiva temples on the occasion of Mahashivratri; many combined the religious observance with hopes that the Men in Blue would prevail.
At the Mankameshwar Temple in Prayagraj, supporters offered special prayers for a win, while Varanasi saw community hawans and puja dedicated to the team's fortunes. In Deoghar, devotees at the Baba Baidyanath temple marked the festival by invoking success for India in Colombo, with some expressing a wish for a decisive margin in favour of the home side.
One cricket fan, Anshika Pathak, said, "On the holy occasion of Mahashivratri, many devotees have been coming to this temple since 12 am to express their dedication to God. There is a huge crowd here... Today is the T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan. I pray to Mahadev that India will always win against Pakistan. " Other devotees voiced hopes ranging from a 200-run total to a full dismissal of Pakistan's batting lineup.
On-field action: India steady after early loss
The on-field contest kicked off at 7: 00 PM ET. Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl. At the time of writing, India were 106/2 after losing Abhishek Sharma early for a four-ball duck. Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma worked to steady the innings, navigating through spells that included spin introduced by the Pakistani attack to curtail the run rate.
India made two changes to the XI for this match, bringing in Abhishek Sharma for Sanju Samson and Kuldeep Yadav in place of Arshdeep Singh. Pakistan named an unchanged side from their previous outing. Supporters watching from temples and home gatherings were also invoking good fortune for individual players, with names such as Rinku Singh coming up among fans hoping for big contributions from the bench or later in the tournament.
While the devotional gatherings underscored the cultural significance of Mahashivratri for many fans, the match itself remained tightly contested, with both teams carrying momentum from earlier wins in the group stage.
Festival fervour adds an extra dimension to the rivalry
The coupling of a high-profile India–Pakistan clash with a major religious festival gave the fixture an added emotional charge. For devotees, the day was both a spiritual observance and a national rooting exercise; for others, it was an opportunity to blend tradition and sport.
Some devotees framed their prayers in stark terms, expressing a desire for a dominant India performance. Others kept their wishes simple and focused on enjoyment and fair play. Across cities, the message was similar: hope that the team representing millions of fans would rise to the occasion on a night charged by both faith and rivalry.
As the match progressed in Colombo, viewers back home continued their rituals and watched intently, hoping the blessings invoked across temples and household altars would translate into on-field success.
