Shubman Gill spotted wearing unreleased 'Temple' device during India practice in Auckland

Shubman Gill was seen wearing an unreleased wearable called Temple on the side of his forehead during India’s practice session at Eden Park in Auckland on Thursday as the team prepared for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand that begins on November 4.

India are in Auckland ahead of the ODI series that starts on November 4 as part of preparations for the ODI World Cup 2027 in South Africa; several senior players, including KL Rahul, have joined the squad and Gill — who leads India in Tests and ODIs — spent time batting in the nets and speaking with head coach Gautam Gambhir during the session.

The device Gill wore is called Temple and has been developed by a venture founded by Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal; it is an upcoming wearable designed to track the body’s responses to physical and mental stress and, unlike typical wrist or finger trackers, it is positioned on the forehead.

Reports say Temple uses light-based optical sensors to study changes in cerebral blood flow and oxygenation and is also designed to monitor nervous system responses and cognitive workload during physical activity; the device has not been released commercially and its full features and performance are not publicly known.

Observers have suggested such data could be useful for professional cricketers during international tours, when travel, jet lag and limited recovery time can affect performance, but it remains unclear how the Indian team intends to use the device during the New Zealand series.

Shubman Gill is not the first Indian athlete linked to Temple: badminton player PV Sindhu was previously seen testing the device, and, according to RevSportz, sources familiar with the development said Gill was impressed by the initial biofeedback and data provided by the system during training.

Gill has not commented publicly on the device or explained why he wore it during the practice session in Auckland; India’s first ODI against New Zealand is scheduled to start on November 4.