Why visit only temples? Harbhajan Singh responds to Kirti Azad's dig at Team India
India Today
Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh has responded to 1983 World Cup winner Kirti Azad's question - why do the Indian team always visit a temple, and not a mosque, or a church? Harbhajan's response has gone viral.
Harbhajan Singh's reply to Kirti Azad's dig at the Indian team has gone viral on the internet. Azad, questioned the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) over why the Indian cricket team, which includes players from multiple faiths, only visited temples after winning trophies and could not visit a mosque, a church and a gurudwara instead.
Azad, in his now viral post on X, slammed the BCCI for supposedly dragging the Indian team into a religious debate, where the dominant religion in the country was being highlighted. Azad said that the trophy belonged to 1.4 billion people and not to only one religion’s victory lap.
Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh, who won the 2011 ODI World Cup with India, responded to Azad’s comments and served him a lesson in harmony. Harbhajan said in an eloquent manner that a temple, a mosque, a church and a gurudwara were the same, and that it was shameful to question a player or a board member for exercising their faith.
"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?" Harbhajan Singh 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," he added.
#WATCH | Delhi | On BCCI announcing Rs 131 Crore prize money for Team India for winning the ICC T20 World Cup, Former Indian Cricketer and Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh, says, "I was expecting more, because when such a big task is undertaken, the reward should be even greater. pic.twitter.com/xOxejmhZEG— ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2026
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