'Going to be a humdinger': Sunil Gavaskar on India-England T20 World Cup semifinal

Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar believes the semifinal between India and England in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 will be a very close and exciting match. The game will be played on Thursday (Mar 5) at the famous Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Gavaskar compared this upcoming clash to India’s thrilling knockout win over West Indies at Eden Gardens. He said both India and England are equally strong teams. According to him, both sides have good batting, strong bowling attacks, solid middle orders and players who can finish games.

Some England cricketers have played in the IPL, so they understand Indian conditions and know how to handle pressure. Gavaskar feels the match could go down to the final over.

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"I think it's going to be another cracker of a game, just like this sort of quarter-final against the West Indies was, because both sides are very well matched," Gavaskar said. “They have got batting. They have got bowling. They have got a middle order. They have got, you know, the finisher. Both teams have finishers. Both teams have variety in their bowling.”

"Both teams also have got a fair bit of experience of T20 cricket. England have got a few players who have played in the IPL, so who are familiar with Indian conditions, who are familiar with the pressure of playing. It is going to be a humdinger of a game. And like it went in Kolkata yesterday, I think this one also will likely go to the 40th over," the former India captain added.

India won the 2011 World Cup final at Wankhede, but they also lost semifinals there in 1987 and 2016. Gavaskar said past records do not matter much and pointed out that the West Indies had never lost a knockout game at Eden Gardens before this tournament, but that record was broken. He believes this is a new Indian team and that they have the ability to win the title.

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"Well, the other day, I mean, somebody said yesterday as well that, you know, West Indies had never lost a knockout game at the Eden Gardens. But that was broken yesterday.

"So it's a new era, a new team. So, yes, I think India have not had the best of semifinal experiences at the Wankhede. But I do believe that they have the capability to go all the way," he added.

Speaking at an event, Gavaskar also shared advice for young batter Abhishek Sharma. He said Sharma should not always try to attack from the start, instead, he should take some time to settle in before playing big shots. Gavaskar added that while it is important to use the powerplay well, a batter does not need to play at top speed all the time.

"My advice would be to not always look to bat in the fourth gear. Maybe, you know, look to up the gears as you settle in. Yes, you want to take advantage of the powerplay, where only two fielders are outside the 30-metre circle. You certainly want to take advantage of that. Play to your strengths. But don't always have to look to bat in the fourth gear," said Gavaskar.