Gautam Gambhir leaves Team India camp before T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final for this huge reason

India head coach Gautam Gambhir was spotted attending the wedding celebrations of Arjun Tendulkar in Mumbai just hours before the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal against England. Gambhir and his wife Natasha arrived at the ceremony dressed in traditional attire ahead of the high-pressure knockout fixture.

Gambhir made a brief appearance because the wedding was being held at the same hotel where the Indian team is staying in Mumbai. Legendary cricketers including MS Dhoni, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Suresh Raina, Ajit Agarkar, Irfan Pathan, and Yusuf Pathan also attended the wedding.

Arjun Tendulkar Marries Saaniya Chandhok Ahead of IPL 2026

The 26-year-old Arjun married Saaniya Chandhok after the couple previously announced their engagement in August last year. Saaniya comes from a prominent business family as the granddaughter of Ravi Ghai, the chairman of the Graviss Group.

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She also shares a close, long-standing friendship with the Tendulkar family, especially with Arjun’s sister, Sara Tendulkar.

Gautam Gambhir with his wife attended the wedding of Arjun Tendulkar, the son of Sachin Tendulkar. pic.twitter.com/8JdWrfmjlO

— 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐢𝐢⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12) March 5, 2026

On the cricket field, Arjun currently represents the Goa cricket team at the domestic level after making his debut for Mumbai in 2021. He has had limited appearances in the Indian Premier League.

The left-arm pacer has played five matches for the Mumbai Indians (MI), where he took three wickets and scored 13 runs. Ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction, he was traded from Mumbai to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Gautam Gambhir's Team India Gear Up for High-Voltage Semifinal Clash

India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, will take on England, led by Harry Brook, in the second semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, March 5.

The winner of this knockout clash will travel to Ahmedabad to face New Zealand in the grand final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, March 8. Notably, the Black Caps already booked their spot by hammering South Africa by nine wickets in Kolkata.

The Men in Blue confirmed their semifinal place by beating the West Indies by five wickets. They successfully chased a 196-run target after Sanju Samson's unbeaten 97 off 50 balls.

However, India still have concerns heading into the match, as Abhishek Sharma has only one half-century, skipper Suryakumar Yadav has looked scratchy, and spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has been unconvincing. The team's fielding has also been disappointing.

India vs England T20 World Cup Rivalry

Gautam Gambhir's India and England have competed against each other in 29 T20 Internationals so far. The Men in Blue hold the upper hand with a 17-12 lead. Notably, the rivalry is also close in T20 World Cups, where India hold a narrow 3-2 lead across their five tournament meetings.

The two power-packed sides have previously faced each other in two T20 World Cup semifinals. In the 2022 edition, England chased down India’s 169-run target, winning by 10 wickets in just 16 overs.

India then took revenge with a dominant 68-run win over England in the 2024 semifinal on their way to becoming champions. The defending champions will be hoping to secure victory and advance to the final this year as well.

Also read: “His bowling is terrible” - Ex-India captain tears into Sam Curran before IND vs ENG semi-final