India head coach Gautam Gambhir has fired back at former Indian cricketer Kirti Azad for questioning Team India`s visit to a Hanuman Temple after the T20 World Cup triumph. Earlier, Kirti Azad had posted on X, questioning Team India`s move to take the trophy to a temple soon after winning the World Cup.
After a 96-run win over New Zealand in Ahmedabad, Captain Suryakumar Yadav, coach Gautam Gambhir and ICC Chairperson Jay Shah were pictured entering a Hanuman Mandir with the World Cup trophy. Kirti Azad was left disappointed by the move and posted a message on Twitter saying,`A sportsperson or sports does not belong to any religion or caste but only to the sport.`
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
Now, Gautam Gambhir has reacted to the statement, saying these comments will dilute the players` achievement at the T20 World Cup. The Indian coach further added that such comments should be ignored.
“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.” Gambhir said.
The 2011 World Cup winner also said that people giving such comments are degrading the Indian team and its players.
“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,” he added.
Harbhajan Singh reacts to Kirti Azad`s criticism
Kirti Azad`s criticism of Team India has drawn a reply from Ishan Kishan, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh. The former Indian off-spinner said he was surprised by Azad`s comment, given his sports background. Kirti Azad was part of the World Cup-winning team in 1983.
“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,” Harbhajan Singh said.
(Input from ANI)
