Suryakumar Yadav, Gautam Gambhir and Jay Shah carried India’s T20 World Cup trophy to the Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai as part of the team’s post-title celebrations. Suryakumar was seen posing with the trophy next to Gambhir as fans and temple officials gathered around them.
While such visits were seen by some as a gesture of gratitude after India’s triumph, they also sparked debate over whether the national sporting symbol should be transferred to a religious site.
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Jay Shah, in particular, faced criticism for his prominent administrative role as ICC chairman. Earlier, Shah, Suryakumar and Gambhir also visited the Hanuman Temple in Ahmedabad with the trophy after India’s victory over New Zealand in the final on March 8 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Former Indian cricketer and 1983 World Cup winner Kirti Azad was among the strongest critics of the move, questioning why the trophy, which represents the entire nation, was taken to the temple. Azad said on social media that the FIFA World Cup was a moment of pride for “1.4 billion Indians of every faith”, adding that the sport represents an entire nation, rather than any religion.
HARBHAJAN, GAMBHIR KILLS KIRTI AZAD
After that, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh came down hard on Kirti Azad for his remarks. Harbhajan responded by giving a strong message of harmonyhe said that a temple, a mosque, a church and a gurudwara were all the same and that it was shameful to question players or board officials for practicing their faith.
Gambhir also dismissed Azad’s remarks in a blunt manner, saying the comments were “not even worth a reply”. India’s head coach said such statements only diluted the team’s success and unfairly diverted attention from what he described as a huge moment for the country.
He went on to say that Azad “literally humiliated” his own players and the team after all the pressure they had endured during the tournament.
HOW INDIA WON THE WORLD CUP
India’s T20 World Cup campaign wasn’t flawless, but it ended in history Suryakumar Yadav’s men became the first team to win the title three timesthe first to successfully defend it and the first host nation to lift the trophy.
India topped Group A with wins over the United States, Namibia, Pakistan and the Netherlands to reach the Super 8s. Although they lost to South Africa, they beat Zimbabwe and beat the West Indies in a virtual quarter-final to book their place in the semi-finals. After beating England in the last four, India crushed New Zealand in the final.
The summit clash was historic, with Sanju Samson’s 89 off 46 becoming the highest individual score in a Men’s T20 World Cup final. Samson also finished with a record 321 runs for India in the tournament, while Jasprit Bumrah’s 4 for 15 earned him the Player of the Match award in the final.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
14 March 2026 21:26 IST
