Team India reached the final of T20 World Cup 2026 after defeating England by seven runs in the second semi-final at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. After the big win, IPL founder Lalit Modi took to social media to praise head coach Gautam Gambhir for his leadership and tactical awareness.
Team India will face New Zealand in the summit clash on Sunday, March 8 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Gautam Gambhir’s tactical decisions during the high-scoring thriller against England played a big role in the Men in Blue defending their total and securing their place in the Grand Final.
Lalit Modi praises Gautam Gambhir’s coaching after T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final win
Lalit Modi took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate Gambhir for taking India to another ICC final. Before becoming the head coach of the Indian team, Gautam Gambhir mentored Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL 2024 trophy. Modi described him as one of the greatest trainers of all time.
Modi wrote on his official account, “Do you know that @Gautam Gambhir has led India to two consecutive @ICC finals. Just before taking up his role as the Indian coach, he had led @iamsrk-owned @IPL team @KKRiders to the 2024 trophy.”
He said in his post, “One of the greatest coaches of all time. Hearty congratulations for your hard work and guidance to these young kids.”
Were you aware of this @GautamGambhir India has been defeated twice in a row @ICC Final. He led it just before taking up his role as Indian coach @IPL Team @KKRiders Owner @iamsrk To lift the 2024 trophy. One of the greatest coaches of all time. Hearty congratulations for… pic.twitter.com/pglyZ9cmwG
– Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) 5 March 2026
Sanju Samson helped India score huge scores
During the semi-final match on Thursday, English captain Harry Brook won the toss and decided to bowl first. Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav admitted that he actually wanted to bat first anyway and his team proved him right by posting a total of 253/7 in 20 overs.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson played a match-deciding inning of 89 runs in just 42 balls. Shivam Dubey (43), Ishan Kishan (39), Hardik Pandya (27) and Tilak Verma (21) scored important runs.
England’s bowlers struggled to contain the run flow during the first innings on a batting-friendly surface. Will Jacques and Adil Rashid were the only successful bowlers for England, taking two wickets each for 40 and 41 runs respectively.
Gautam Gambhir’s tactical brilliance ensured a narrow victory
In reply, England’s Jacob Bethel scored a sensational century and scored 105 runs in 48 balls. He held his side to the end, but Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav’s tactical brilliance with the ball ultimately prevented England from chasing the run.
India prioritized early wickets to disrupt England’s momentum. Hardik Pandya dismissed Phil Salt on his very first ball. Jasprit Bumrah was then deployed in the powerplay to target Harry Brook, leading to a mistimed shot which resulted in a brilliant catch by Axar Patel while running back.
India kept Bumrah to three overs for the last 10 overs of the innings. His spells in the 16th and 18th overs proved to be tactical masterstrokes, as he conceded only 14 runs when England needed a huge scoring rate of 14 runs per over.
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