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Cricket Players‘Degrading’: Gautam Gambhir breaks silence after Kirti Azad spoils India’s T20 World Cup win with religious statement
India head coach Gautam Gambhir is miffed with Kirti Azad and blasted the 1983 World Cup winner for diluting the team's T20 World Cup win.
Gautam Gambhir has fired back at Kirti Azad after the Trinamool Congress MP spoiled India’s T20 World Cup win with a religious remark. Less than 24 hours after India beat New Zealand by 96 runs in the final to win the T20 World Cup, coach Gambhir, captain Suryakumar Yadav and ICC chairman Jay Shah paid a visit to a nearby Hanuman temple with the trophy, the act prompting Azad, a former World Cup winner himself, to post the following on X.
“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.”
The post triggered a storm, with many questioning the need for such a statement. Yesterday, as Ishan Kishan returned to his hometown, the Indian wicketkeeper-batter chose not to address the controversy and simply said, “Ask something else.” Even Harbhajan Singh, the former India two-time World Cup-winning spinner, did not take kindly to Azad’s take.
“It is absurd what he (Kirti Azad) is trying to do by playing politics with this. The Indian team can take the trophy to a temple, a mosque, a church, wherever they want to. If they have asked something from their God and have revisited their faith after their wish was fulfilled, what's the problem in that?” he said.
“It is unfortunate to hear these things from fellow cricketers. Maybe they are preferring politics over the sport. It is even more unfortunate that he is a sportsman. The country has won a World Cup. Be happy, celebrate, but you are busy doing politics. We say in our faith that all religions are the same. There may be different Gods, but the path is the same. If they went to a temple, a mosque or a church, it is the same. It is their faith, and you should not be questioning it.”
Gautam Gambhir reacts strongly
Finally, Gambhir, India’s two-time ICC trophy-winning head coach, broke his silence and pummelled Azad for the remark, accusing him of ‘degrading’ and ‘diluting’ India’s win.
“What do I even say about it. I think it’s not even worth answering that question. It’s a big moment for the entire country. I think it is important that we celebrate the World Cup. That’s why I say that there’s no point picking up certain statements because they only dilute your achievements. If you want to dilute the efforts of those 15 players, then anyone will wake up and say anything tomorrow,” Gambhir told ANI in a podcast.
“It is not fair on the boys. Imagine what the boys have gone through. The amount of pressure they have gone through. After losing the game against South Africa, the kind of pressure the boys are under, and if you’re passing such a statement, you are degrading your own player and your own team. It should not be done.”
As Gambhir pointed out, the Indian team showed real character after being hammered by South Africa in the Super Eights. Following a 76-run defeat that pushed their net run rate to -3.8, India had to win their remaining matches against Zimbabwe and the West Indies to reach the semi-final. Not only did India achieve it, they did so in style. Zimbabwe were beaten handsomely by 76 runs, while the West Indies were outplayed by five wickets.
In the semi-final, India faced England and, despite Jacob Bethell’s fighting century, beat them for the second consecutive time in a T20 World Cup knockout match. The final, however, was where India saved their most dominant performance, dismantling New Zealand by 96 runs to become the first team to win the T20 World Cup three times, defend the trophy, and do so on home soil.
