‘The trophy belongs to 1.4 billion’: Kirti Azad slams Surya Kumar Yadav, Jay Shah for temple visit
The Hindu
Kirti Azad criticises Surya Kumar Yadav and Jay Shah for taking the T20 trophy to a temple, emphasizing its significance for all Indians.
Former cricketer Kirti Azad in his post on X on Monday (March 9, 2026), criticised the captain of Indian cricket team Surya Kumar Yadav and Chairman of International Cricket Council (ICC) Jay Shah for taking the T20 World Cup trophy to a temple in Ahmedabad.
Yadav, along with Mr. Shah and Team India’s Head Coach Gautam Gambhir, offered prayers at the Hanuman Temple in Ahmedabad after winning the T20 World Cup 2026 trophy by defeating New Zealand on Sunday (March 8, 2026).
Mr. Azad, who was part of the 1983 world Cup-winning Indian squad, said in his post, “When we won the World Cup under Kapil Dev in 1983, we had Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, and Christian in the team. We brought the trophy to our religious birth place, our motherland India Bharat Hindustan. Why The Hell Is The Indian Cricket Trophy is being Dragged. (sic)”
He added, “This Team Represents INDIA — not Surya Kumar Yadav’s or Jay Shah’s Family !”
Mr. Azad added, “Siraj never paraded it at a Mosque. Sanju never took it to a Church.”
“The Trophy Belongs to 1.4 BILLION Indians of EVERY Faith — NOT ONE RELIGION’S VICTORY LAP! “ he ended his post.
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