India Postpone Training Session Due To Lunar Eclipse Ahead Of World Cup Semi-Final

India reportedly delayed their training session at Wankhede Stadium to avoid the Lunar Eclipse ahead of their T20 World Cup semi-final against England.

The Indian men’s cricket team postponed the start of its training session in Mumbai on Tuesday (March 3) to avoid clashing with the Lunar Eclipse, according to a report by the Indian Express. The team reportedly chose to observe the belief that Lunar Eclipses, or Chandra Grahan in Hindi, are considered inauspicious.

India were scheduled to practice from 6 pm to 9 pm at the Wankhede Stadium ahead of their crucial T20 World Cup semi-final against England on Thursday. The eclipse began at 3:20 PM IST and lasted until 06:47 PM.

“The team found out that since it is chandra grahan ‘lunar eclipse’ one should avoid doing anything good. As India is playing the semi-finals against England the team wanted to start on a positive note. Many felt that we can push the practice time until 6:40 PM one should avoid doing any activity. The team management agreed to it, and practice was postponed by an hour,” the newspaper quoted a source as saying.

In India, lunar eclipses are traditionally viewed as inauspicious due to deep-rooted mythological and spiritual beliefs. According to Vedic mythology, the demon ‘Rahu’ seeks revenge by momentarily ‘swallowing’ the Moon, symbolising a victory of darkness over light. As a result, many people follow strict customs during the eclipse. Temples close, people observe fasts, and pregnant women take specific precautions to protect the unborn from perceived negative vibrations.

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India now prepare for a high-stakes clash against England in the semi-final. The Men in Blue earned their semi-final spot after an impressive win over the West Indies on Sunday. However, their journey has not been smooth. During the group stage, matches against the USA, Pakistan, Namibia, and the Netherlands exposed weaknesses in the batting order.

The team made changes after a heavy defeat against South Africa in the Super Eights stage. Sanju Samson’s return strengthened the batting line-up and disrupted opposition matchups. India went on to beat Zimbabwe and then the West Indies, where the Kerala batter scored an unbeaten 97.