Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane visits Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati

Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane paid a traditional visit to the Kamakhya temple atop the Neelachal hills in Guwahati on January 9.

The priests welcomed the player into the temple, the centre of the Shakti worship, and then conducted puja.

The star player walked around the temple and spent over half an hour on the temple grounds, which were well-guarded.

Rahane is in Guwahati for the Assam-Mumbai Ranji Trophy match, which begins on January 3 at the newly built Amingaon cricket venue in Kamrup Rural district. Rahane will captain Mumbai in the contest.

Ajinkya Rahane, Shardul Thakur, and former head coach Ravi Shastri were honoured at the annual Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) Awards on Friday at the BKC Club in Mumbai.

The three were honoured for their contributions to the Gabba Test, in which India defeated Australia at the legendary 'Gabba' venue in Brisbane during the four-match Test series to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21.

Meanwhile, the Assam government has declared a half-day holiday on the occasion of the ODI match between India and Sri Lanka which is scheduled to be held on January 10, a notification said on January 8.

''The Governor of Assam is pleased to declare half day local holiday on 10 January 2023 within the Kamrup (Metro) district on the occasion of the ODI match between India and Sri Lanka to be held on 10/01/2023 at Barsapara ACA Cricket Stadium, Guwahati,'' the notification dated January 8, 2023, said.

As per the notification, all State government offices, and educational institutions within the jurisdiction of Kamrup (Metro) district will remain closed after 1 PM on account of this half-day local holiday.

Notably, ahead of the match on January 10, Indian players like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Rohit Sharma have arrived in the city.