ENG vs IND 2025: Gautam Gambhir rushes home as mother suffers heart attack

Unfortunately, Seema, the mother of Gautam Gambhir, had a heart attack and is presently in the intensive care unit (ICU). During this crucial period, the Indian team’s head coach has returned home via plane to be with his family.

Gautam Gambhir was absent from the Indian team’s practice session on Thursday in Beckenham, Kent, before to the tour match, according to several media outlets. It has now been verified that the Delhi native has gone back to her hometown to handle the June 11 family accident.

According to reports, Gautam Gambhir is also anticipated to return to the Indian team on Tuesday, June 17, three days prior to the opening game of the five-Test series against England.

When India’s intra-squad match starts in Kent on Friday, June 13, the 43-year-old will not be physically present. But when Gambhir gets back to the UK, coaches like assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate and bowling coach Morne Morkel will be watching how the players play over the four-day match and providing input.

The intra-squad match will take place behind closed doors, according to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Therefore, the unofficial practice match, which is scheduled for June 13–16, has been closed to reporters.

“Closed intra-squad game, June 13–16. media/broadcast without vision access. In a previous announcement, BCCI stated that a player or member of the support staff would be made available to the media on the last day of the squad game.

For those who are unfamiliar, if a batter gets dismissed early in an intra-squad game and the management believes that they need extra time in the middle to be ready for the upcoming major series, they may be called up. Since many of the players are coming from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, which ended on June 3, the game will primarily act as a match simulation for them and assist them in becoming used to the red-ball format.