For the 2026 T20 World Cup, the Indian team usually schedules training sessions under floodlights around 6 pm standard time. However, due to the lunar eclipse on March 3, the normal schedule has changed slightly. The men in blue will begin practicing after the eclipse.

According to a report in The Indian Express, the team avoided training during the lunar eclipse. A solar eclipse is not considered an appropriate time to perform any auspicious act. Since the training was geared toward the tournament semifinals, the team opted to make slight adjustments to the training times.

Lunar eclipse forces Indian team management to delay training

According to reports, today’s lunar eclipse will begin at 3:20 pm and end at 6:47 pm, which overlaps with the team’s normal training time. In compliance with Hindu rituals, the team decided to postpone the training sessions.

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A source told The Indian Express: “The team has found that since it is the Chandra Graham ‘eclipse’, it should avoid doing anything good. Since India is playing a semi-final match against England, the team wants to start on a positive note. Many people felt that we can postpone the training time to 6:40 pm and people should avoid doing any activities. The team management agreed and the training was postponed by an hour.”

Defending champions of 2026 T20 World Cup on the brink of elimination

Before any important match, players and staff often visit the temple to pray to the gods. In Kolkata, for the match against West Indies at the Eden Gardens, the players visited a temple and other holy places in Kolkata before the match.

The match against West Indies is a must-win affair for the 2024 T20 World Cup winners as they suffered a heavy defeat in their opening match in the Super Eights. The defending champion’s future in the semi-finals hangs in the balance after being defeated by the Protesters.

Men in Blue ready to take on England in semi-finals in Mumbai

Overcoming early setbacks, Suryakumar Yadav and his team secured back-to-back wins over Zimbabwe and West Indies respectively to confirm their place in the semi-finals along with South Africa, England and New Zealand.

India will play England in the second semi-final on Thursday, March 5, at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The winner of this brawl will advance to the finals. The other match at this stage will be played in Kolkata on March 4 between South Africa and New Zealand.

According to the statistics, the Men in Blue are most likely to beat the Harry Brooke-led side. Overall, India has played 29 T20 matches against England, of which England has won 12; the remaining 17 have been won by the opposing team.

Read more: South Africa vs New Zealand – Semi-final 1 | ICC T20 World Cup 2026