<p>India’s T20 World Cup victory has sparked a debate after members of the national team visited a Hindu temple in Ahmedabad with the trophy. The visit, meant as a gesture of thanksgiving following India’s emphatic win over New Zealand, drew criticism from former cricketer Kirti Azad, who questioned the decision to take the trophy to a temple. The controversy gained further traction after Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan reacted to Azad’s remarks, dismissing the criticism during a media interaction and suggesting that attention should remain on the team’s performance and celebrations.</p> <h2>Ishan Kishan Responds</h2> <p>Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan appeared dismissive when asked about the criticism surrounding the temple visit with the World Cup trophy. When reporters raised Kirti Azad’s remarks during a media interaction, Kishan indicated that the focus should remain on the team’s achievements rather than the controversy.</p> <p>“Well, we have won so well in the World Cup. What do I say now on what Kirti Azad said?” Kishan told reporters.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://ift.tt/oAITDuG" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://ift.tt/oAITDuG" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Asian News International (@ani_trending)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>When another journalist repeated the question, Kishan responded by suggesting that reporters should instead discuss the team’s performance in the tournament.</p> <p>“Yes, you are asking such a good question! You should ask about how much fun we had; how we made runs,” he said.</p> <p>He then turned back to a reporter and, speaking in Hindi, described the question as “bekaar”, meaning useless, before smiling and walking away.</p> <p>The brief exchange quickly circulated on social media, drawing mixed reactions from fans and commentators.</p> <h2>Temple Visit Sparks Debate</h2> <p>The controversy began after ICC Chairman Jay Shah, India head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav visited a Hanuman temple in Ahmedabad following India’s 96-run victory over New Zealand to lift the T20 World Cup trophy.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> | Gujarat: ICC Chairman Jay Shah, Team India Head Coach Gautam Gambhir, along with Skipper Surya Kumar Yadav, offered prayers at the Hanuman Temple in Ahmedabad.<br /><br />The Men in Blue crushed New Zealand by 96 runs to lift the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ICCT20WorldCup2026?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ICCT20WorldCup2026</a> <a href="https://t.co/71SWAraDre">pic.twitter.com/71SWAraDre</a></p> — ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/2030736885166059710?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2026</a></blockquote> <p> <script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async="" charset="utf-8"></script> </p> <p>Images and videos of the team offering prayers with the trophy spread widely online. While some supporters viewed the visit as a customary act of gratitude after a major sporting achievement, others questioned whether a national sporting symbol should be associated with a specific religious setting.</p> <p>Former India cricketer and member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team Kirti Azad publicly criticised the move in a post on X.</p> <p>“Why not a mosque? Why not a church? Why not a gurudwara? The trophy belongs to 1.4 billion Indians of every faith-not one religion’s victory lap,” Azad wrote.</p>
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