Gautam Gambhir Gives Bold Take on Arshdeep Singh-Daryl Mitchell's Incident in T20 World Cup Final

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir defended pacer Arshdeep Singh's aggressive on-field actions against Daryl Mitchell during the T20 World Cup 2026 Final. Gambhir stated that such aggression is expected when representing one's country and that Arshdeep had no reason to apologize for the incident, despite being fined by the ICC.

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir defended Arshdeep Singh’s aggressive action against New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell during the T20 World Cup 2026 Final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8.

During New Zealand’s run chase, Arshdeep Singh and Daryl Mitchell were involved in a heated exchange after the Indian pacer threw the ball back at the New Zealand batter following a defensive shot, accidentally hitting him instead of the stumps. This led to an on-field confrontation when Daryl Mitchell charged at Arshdeep Singh, prompting intervention from the umpires.

Though Arshdeep apologized to Mitchell after the over and two had a conversation following India’s T20 World Cup win, the Indian pacer was fined 15% of his match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct.

‘You Are Bound to Show Aggression’

Arshdeep Singh’s aggression towards Daryl Mitchell was one of the most-talked-about on social media, but India head coach Gautam Gambhir defended the pacer after the Men in Blue’s T20 World Cup triumph.

Speaking on the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Gambhir stated that the aggression tends to happen while playing for the country, adding that there was no need for Arshdeep Singh to apologize to Daryl Mitchell for the incident.

“That is ok. You are representing your country. You are bound to show aggression. If you throw back, what is wrong with that? No bowler likes getting hit for two sixes. And that is the kind of response I want to see from my players,” Gambhir said.

“There is nothing wrong. Even if he hadn’t said sorry, I was absolutely fine with it. He doesn’t need to say sorry,” he added.

Arshdeep Singh was smashed two back-to-back sixes by Daryl Mitchell before conceding a wide ball, which seemed to trigger his aggressive reaction of throwing the ball back, unintentionally hitting Mitchell instead of the stumps and sparking the on-field confrontation.

No Friends or Enemies On the Cricket Field

Further speaking about the Arshdeep Singh-Daryl Mitchell incident, Gautam Gambhir further stated that on the cricket field, players must focus on representing their country and compete fiercely, as emotions run high and conflicts can happen, but they shouldn’t be overblown off the field.

“Yes, it’s good on him that he apologized, but on the cricket field, there are no friends or enemies. Your job is to represent your country, win for your country,” Gambhir said.

“These things used to happen earlier, too. But in the era of social media, things escalate, for which, I think, there’s no need,” he added.

Arshdeep Singh finished the tournament as the fourth-highest wicket-taker for India with nine wickets at an average of 28.22 and an economy rate of 8.46 in eight matches.