Trinamool Congress MP and former India cricketer Kirti Azad on Wednesday refused to back down from his remarks despite facing strong criticism from India head coach Gautam Gambhir and batter Ishan Kishan for questioning the decision to take the T20 World Cup trophy to a temple in Ahmedabad.
Azad had criticised India captain Suryakumar Yadav and ICC chairman Jay Shah for offering prayers with the trophy, arguing that the gesture was inappropriate given the religious diversity within the Indian team. The former cricketer, who was part of India’s 1983 World Cup-winning squad, said sport should remain above religion and that the victory belonged to people from all communities.
“People were excited over Team India’s victory. They included everyone — Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians,” Azad said. “I played for my country. Any sport or sportsperson does not belong to a particular religion or caste. Our players made India win. Everyone was involved.”
Azad also cited wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson while explaining his position.
“We have Sanju Samson in the team. He was playing as a cricketer, not as a Christian. The runs he scored were for the Indian team, not for any religion. Therefore, it is the Indian team that has won — for the people of India. This is a matter of great pride,” he said.
Gambhir, however, strongly criticised Azad’s remarks, saying such comments undermined the team’s achievement.
“I think it’s not even worth answering that question. It’s a big moment for the entire country,” Gambhir said in an interview with ANI.
“It is important that we celebrate a World Cup win. If you make such statements, you only dilute the achievements of those 15 players. Imagine the pressure the boys were under after losing a match in South Africa. They have gone through so much, and statements like these are unfair to them.”
When Kishan was asked about Azad’s remarks upon reaching his hometown following India’s title win, the wicketkeeper-batter declined to comment. “Ask something else,” he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, Azad doubled down on his stance, saying that while players should be respected, the country must also uphold mutual respect among all religions.
“Yes, definitely players should not be degraded. But players should not degrade their own situation either,” Azad said. “Ours is a democratic country where people of all religions live, and everyone should be respected.”
