India’s cricketing legacy touched a monumental high on March 8, 2026, as India claimed its third T20 World Cup title with a massive 96-run victory over New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. After the high-octane celebrations on the cricket ground, India’s World Cup-winning team captain, along with Head Coach Gautam Gambhir and ICC Chairman Jay Shah, decided to find spiritual solace.
The trio visited the Hanuman Temple in Ahmedabad to seek spiritual solace while carrying the T20 World Cup trophy. However, this spiritual gesture has sparked controversy. Former cricketer and 1983 World Cup winner Kirti Azad has expressed his displeasure over the visit. Now, the head coach of Team India, Gautam Gambhir, has reacted to the whole fiasco and slammed Kirti Azad’s statement.
ADVERTISEMENT
Gautam Gambhir slams Kirti Azad’s statement on World Cup’s temple visit
After the T20 World Cup win, the head coach of Team India, Gautam Gambhir, sat in an interview with ANI. During the conversation, he opened up about various topics. However, one topic that grabs everyone’s attention is how he responded to 1983 World Cup winner and now TMC leader Kirti Azad’s criticism of the T20 World Cup trophy’s temple visit.
In response to Azad’s statements, Gautam Gambhir rejected Azad’s criticism and said that the focus should be on celebrating the achievement rather than discussing such statements. He says,
I think it’s not even worth answering that question. It’s a big moment for the entire country and, if you ask me, it’s a huge moment for the nation. I think it’s important that we celebrate the World Cup win. That’s why I say there is no point in picking up certain statements, because these statements will only dilute your achievement.
Gambhir said that such comments did not deserve any attention and emphasized that such comments only undermined the efforts of the players. He says,
If you want to dilute the achievement of those children, those 15 players, and their efforts, then tomorrow anyone will stand up and make any statement, and we will start taking it seriously, which is not fair to the boys. Imagine what the boys have gone through — the amount of pressure they faced after losing a match in South Africa and the kind of pressure they were under. Today, if you make such a statement, you are literally degrading your own players and degrading your own team, which should not be done.
#WATCH | On TMC MP & former cricketer Kirti Azad’s statement, Head Coach of Team India, Gautam Gambhir says in an interview with ANI, “…It is not even worth answering this question…These kinds of statements just degrade the players and team, which should not be done.”
Watch… pic.twitter.com/gIWtMpIbm8
— ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2026
What did Kirti Azad say about the T20 World Cup trophy’s temple visit?
On 9th March, former cricketer and TMC MP Kirti Azad slammed the World Cup trophy’s visit to the temple. Expressing his displeasure, he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the trophy is not only for one particular religious group but also for the entire nation. Citing India’s historic Cricket World Cup victory in 1983 under Kapil Dev’s leadership, Kirti Azad stated that the Indian team always consists of players of different religions, like Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, and Christian.
Advertisment
In his tweet, Kirti Azad asked why the trophy was only taken to the temple and why it was not taken to a mosque, church, or gurudwara. He mentioned players like Mohammed Siraj and Sanju Samson and stated that it is for all 1.4 billion people of different religions in India.
ADVERTISEMENT
Have a look at his original tweet:
SHAME ON TEAM INDIA! 😡
When we won the World Cup under Kapil Dev in 1983, we had Hindu Muslim Sikh and Christian in the team.
We brought the trophy to our religious birth place our motherland India Bharat Hindustan
Why The Hell Is The Indian Cricket Trophy is being Dragged.…
— Kirti Azad (@KirtiAzaad) March 9, 2026
ADVERTISEMENT
Both sides have generated a larger debate in online forums around issues of faith and personal beliefs and how people represent their country in sports. Although there were people who agreed with Azad’s perspective, there were others who were with Gambhir and believed it was normal for players to express gratitude at any place of worship in India.
What do you think about this controversy? Do share your thoughts with us in the comment section of this article.
ADVERTISEMENT
