Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has criticised Kirti Azad, member of India's 1983 World Cup winning team and TMC MP, for questioning the decision of the Men in Blue leadership to take the T20 World Cup 2026 trophy to a temple following the team's victory in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Gambhir expressed that such questions are not worth answering and stated, “If you give such a statement, then you are literally degrading your own players.” He added, “I think it’s not even worth answering that question. It’s a big moment for the entire country. I think it is important that we celebrate a World Cup win, and that’s why I say certain statements; there is no point picking up certain statements because these statements will only dilute your achievement. If you want to dilute the achievements of those 15 players and their efforts which is not fair to the boys. I mean, imagine the boys have gone through so much. The amount of pressure they have gone through after losing a match in South Africa. The kind of pressure the boys were under. And today, if you give such a statement, then you are literally degrading your own players and your own team, which should not be done.”
India secured a record-breaking third T20 World Cup title and became the first team to defend the title and win it on home soil after beating New Zealand by 96 runs at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
Following the victory, captain Suryakumar Yadav, Gambhir, and International Cricket Council chairman Jay Shah visited a Hanuman temple near the stadium to seek blessings and brought the trophy with them.
On Tuesday, Kirti Azad questioned this act, stating, “140 crore people were excited when Team India, which includes people from all religions, won. A sportsperson or sports does not belong to any religion or caste but only to the sport. As a sportsperson, I say Team India made India victorious. Team India won, and this is a matter of pride for the people of India.”
Azad's remarks drew criticism from former teammate and India spinner Harbhajan Singh, who accused him of politicising the team’s temple visit. Singh said, “It’s absurd that someone is politicising the players taking the trophy to a temple. Kirti himself is a former cricketer, so I didn’t expect him to say such a thing. Perhaps he’s prioritising politics more and has forgotten he’s a sportsman.”