NEW DELHI: India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav along with four other members of the squad went on a jungle safari at the Pench Tiger Reserve on Monday ,ahead of the opening match of the five game series against New Zealand which begins in Nagpur on January 21.

Besides Yadav, wicketkeepers Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan, batter Rinku Singh and spinner Ravi Bishnoi also enjoyed the safari during a private visit to the reserve that lies between Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, a forest department official said.

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Safari experience at Pench

Pench Tiger Reserve Field Director J Deva Prasad told PTI that the players reached Seoni on Saturday night and stayed at a resort. After going on the jungle safari on Monday morning, Team India’s T20 stars left for Nagpur around noon.

Another official said that during the safari the players spotted leopards and other animals but did not get to see a tiger. The cricketers travelled around the reserve in an open jeep and stopped to click photos with fans and accepted their greetings.

Gifts memories and past visits

Pench wildlife photographer Rituraj Rahi Jaiswal said that when the players returned to Nagpur for the first T20 match he presented skipper Yadav an annual calendar featuring photos of tigers, leopards and other wildlife.

The players who visited Pench also shared photos and short videos from the safari on their social media accounts.

Yadav had earlier visited the Pench Tiger Reserve on February 15, 2025, an official added.

Batting legend and Bharat Ratna award winner Sachin Tendulkar had visited the famous reserve with his family in 2023. The park is home to a wide range of wildlife including tigers, chital, leopards and sloth bears.

The three match ODI series against New Zealand ended in Indore on Sunday with India losing the rubber 2–1. Now the focus shifts to the five match T20 series with the first game between the two sides set to be played in Nagpur on Wednesday.

(With PTI Inputs)