“England are a world-class and quality side” - Gautam Gambhir ahead of their semi-final clash

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has termed the England national cricket team a ‘world-class side’ ahead of the much-awaited semi-final in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, which is currently underway in India.

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Speaking at the post-match press conference after India’s five-wicket win over the West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, March 1, Gambhir is hopeful of another good show from the Indian team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, when they take on the English side on Thursday, March 5, at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

"England are a world-class team, they're a quality team, they've got a lot of quality players as well and we all know that Wankhede is a tough venue. Hopefully, we can turn up and see that we have another opportunity to do something special for the team, for the country and hopefully we play our best game as well. That is going to be very important," Gambhir said.

Furthermore, Gambhir clarified that every player’s performance in the team is very crucial, stating that had Shivam Dube not scored a couple of boundaries in the penultimate over of the 196-run chase against the West Indies, no one would have spoken about Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 97-run knock.

"Had Shivam Dube not smashed a couple of boundaries in the penultimate over, no one would have spoken about Sanju Samson's match-winning 97 against West Indies on Sunday," Gambhir added.

"For many years, we've only spoken about certain contributions. This is a team sport, and this will always remain a team sport," he stated.

"For me, Shivam's two boundaries are as important as Sanju's 97 because if he hadn't hit those two boundaries, you won't even have spoken about it (97-run knock). The big contribution makes headlines. The small contribution, the contribution that can help the team win, cross that line, are very important. And that's why I say that this is going to be the philosophy going forward till I am there,” he concluded.

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