Not often does one witness a venerated holy man emerge with a smile, amid laughter and cheers, not to deliver a sermon, but to play cricket. But that is precisely what New Zealand got when Bageshwar Dham Sarkar, whose millions of followers know him as Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, brought not just his blessings, but also his childlike simplicity and exhilaratingly capricious taste in choice of idiom with him.

Dressed in a kurta and a smile, he walked alongside his team and devotees, not as someone separate, but as one of them. And when the bat and ball came out, the mood shifted from devotion to delight. People didn’t know whether to fold their hands in reverence or cheer him on so they did both. There was laughter, lightness, and something deeply grounding about watching faith take a playful pause.

For the Indian families gathered there, especially those living far from their roots, it was a magical moment. Not because a celebrity visited, but because someone from home made them feel like home was right there in a game of cricket, in shared smiles, in small talk, and warmth.

pic.twitter.com/vgP9uoAk1p

— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) June 28, 2025

ALSO READ:NRK VS ITT TNPL 2025: Live streaming and where to watch

When Spirituality Took Guard on the Cricket Pitch
It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t polished. But that’s what made it beautiful. Bageshwar Dham Sarkar didn’t just show up; he became a part of the community’s joy, their nostalgia, their need to feel close to India even while oceans apart.

On that day, cricket was more than a game. It bridged faith and fun, tradition and togetherness. And for everyone who saw it, the message was simple: spirituality doesn’t always reside on stage it can run between the wickets with you, too. sometimes it runs up and down the wickets with you.