Sakshi Dhoni celebrates early, MS Dhoni’s calm gesture becomes viral moment during India vs England clash

Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was among the prominent faces at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday as India faced England in the second semifinal of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. Dhoni attended the match with his wife Sakshi Dhoni and watched the high pressure game from the VIP stand.

The former captain, who led India to the title in the inaugural ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2007, was seated with several guests in the corporate box. Rohit Sharma and his wife Ritika Sajdeh were also spotted nearby as the match unfolded in front of a packed crowd.

A moment from the stands later caught attention online. During the 18th over of England’s chase, a delivery from Jasprit Bumrah created brief confusion. The Indian pacer stopped the ball in his follow through after it came off the bat of Sam Curran.

From the stands, Sakshi appeared to believe that Bumrah had completed a catch. She immediately jumped in excitement, celebrating what she thought was a crucial wicket. However, replays suggested that the ball had touched the ground before reaching the bowler.

While most people in the stadium quickly realised what had happened, Sakshi continued celebrating for a few seconds. Dhoni, known for his composed personality on and off the field, responded with a calm gesture that appeared to signal her to relax.

Those sitting around them soon reacted to the moment. Several spectators in the VIP enclosure were seen laughing after noticing the exchange between the couple. The short clip from the stands quickly spread across social media platforms.

Many viewers online described it as one of the lighter moments from an otherwise tense semifinal. One user commented, "Cutest moment of the match 🤣". Another wrote, "Best moment ????😂".

Meanwhile, the match itself remained closely contested until the final overs. India eventually defeated England by seven runs to secure a place in the final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.

Batting first after England captain Harry Brook won the toss, India posted 253 for seven in their 20 overs. Sanju Samson led the scoring with 89 runs from 42 balls. All rounder Shivam Dube added 43 runs from 25 deliveries to strengthen the total.

England pushed the chase deep but eventually fell short as India held their nerve in the closing overs.