Members of the Indian national cricket team visited the Shree Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai on Saturday to continue celebrating their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup victory, even as their previous temple visit sparked a controversy over comments made by former cricketer-turned-politician Kirti Azad.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav, along with International Cricket Federation president Jay Shah, had earlier visited the temple in Ahmedabad with the trophy and offered prayers after the victory, despite the controversy surrounding the earlier visit.
Kirti Azad questions temple visit
The controversy started when Kirti Azad criticized the team’s decision to take the trophy to the temple, arguing that World Cup victory belongs to all Indians regardless of religion.
“1.4 billion people get excited when an Indian team from different religions wins. Athletes or sports do not belong to any religion or caste but only to the sport,” Azad said.
“Why not a mosque? Why not a church? Why not a gurdwara? The trophy belongs to 1.4 billion Indians of all faiths, not the victory of one religion,” he added.
Harbhajan Singh criticizes Azad’s remarks
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh strongly criticized Azad’s remarks, accusing him of unnecessarily politicizing the issue.
“It is ridiculous for someone to politicize players taking trophies to temples. Kirti himself is a former cricketer, so I did not expect him to say such things. Maybe he takes politics more seriously and forgets that he is a sportsman,” Harbhajan said.
“I expected more because when taking on such a tough task, the rewards should be greater. But congratulations to the team for showing everyone how strong India is,” he added.
Gambhir also defended the team’s celebrations
Gautam Gambhir also defended the team’s actions, saying the controversy was unnecessary and had the potential to overshadow the achievements of the players.
“It’s not even worth answering the question. This is a big moment for the entire country and we should be celebrating the World Cup win,” Gambhir said while talking to ANI.
“If you want to downplay the achievements of these 15 players and their efforts, then tomorrow anyone can make any statement and we’ll start taking it seriously. It’s not fair to the boys.”
“The kids are under so much pressure. If you make a statement like that today, you’re disparaging your own players and your own team.”
Players shy away from controversy
Meanwhile, India batsman Ishan Kishan dismissed questions about the controversy, urging the media to instead focus on the team’s historic achievement.
“Winning the World Cup is a great thing. You should ask good questions. What can I say about what Kirti Azad said? Please ask good questions and it will be enjoyable,” Kishan said.
