India’s coach, Gautam Gambhir, fired back at Kirti Azad after the former cricketer criticized the team for visiting a temple following their T20 World Cup 2026 triumph. Azad questioned why the trophy was taken exclusively to the Hanuman temple in Ahmedabad by Gambhir, ICC chairman Jay Shah, and Suryakumar Yadav, instead of being brought to other places of worship, calling it discriminatory.

Responding to ANI, Gambhir said Azad’s remarks didn’t deserve attention and defended the team’s choice. He stressed that such comments diminish the players’ achievement and are unfair to those who earned the victory.

“It’s not even worth responding to this question. Winning the World Cup is a huge moment for the entire country. From my perspective, it’s a moment of immense pride for all of India. It’s important to celebrate the achievements of the team, which is why I made my earlier comments. Focusing on such statements only takes away from the hard work and accomplishments of the 15 players. If we start giving importance to every remark, it would be unfair to the boys who put in all the effort,” Gambhir told ANI.

Gambhir also noted that the team had every right to celebrate in their own manner, free from religious or political debate, and that Azad’s criticism seemed aimed at undermining the team’s accomplishment.

The coach’s comments followed similar criticism of Azad from former cricketer Harbhajan Singh.

“Consider everything the boys have been through, the pressure they faced after losing a match in South Africa and the challenges they had to handle. Making such statements only undermines your own players and disrespects your own team, which should never happen,” Gambhir added.

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