Explainer: The controversy surrounding Kirti Azad's comments about the Indian team captain and coach taking the WC trophy to a temple and replies from Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh
Kirti Azad and Gautam Gambhir (Pic: X and File)
In the wake of India's historic T20 World Cup triumph, a debate has emerged involving 1983 World Cup winner Kirti Azad and former Indian players Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh. Azad's tweet about the Indian coach and captains' temple visit with the trophy turned into a heated exchange with current and former Indian players.
What did Kirti Azad say that sparked the controversy?
Shortly after India's historic World Cup win, skipper Suyakumar Yadav, coach Gautam Gambhir and ICC Chairman Jay Shah visited a Hanuman temple with the trophy to seek blessings. This gesture did not go down well with Kirti Azad, who took to X to post his displeasure.
Kirti Azad, now a Member of Parliament, voiced his disapproval, stating that the World Cup trophy belongs to 1.4 billion Indians of every faith. He further hinted at the 1983 World Cup-winning squad as a model of religious diversity.
"SHAME ON TEAM INDIA! 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. Why NOT a Mosque? Why NOT a Church? Why NOT a Gurudwara? This Team Represents INDIA — not Surya Kumar Yadav's or Jay Shah's Family ! Siraj never paraded it at a Mosque. Sanju never took it to a Church. latter had a major part to play and was man of the tournament. The Trophy Belongs to 1.4 BILLION Indians of EVERY Faith — NOT ONE RELIGION'S VICTORY LAP!" Kirti Azad tweeted.
Kirti Azad's tweet has gathered more than 3.7 million views on X. The former Indian off-spinner and current TMC member has since been in the thick of things, as Indian coach Gautam Gambhir and former Indian World Cup winner Harbhajan Singh have hit back with strong replies to his tweet.
How did Gautam Gambhir, Ishan Kisan and Harbhajan Singh enter the controversy?
"Stop degrading your own team and players," Gautam Gambhir, the current Indian coach, responded to Kirti Azad without holding back. Initially, Gambhir claimed that the remarks were not worth answering, but later said that such comments were degrading the team and the player.
"It is not even worth answering this question. Answering that question is a big moment for the entire country. Today, if you are giving such a statement, you're literally degrading your players and degrading your own team, which should not be done," Gautam Gambhir said.
Gambhir was supported by his former teammate Harbhajan Singh, who was far from pleased at Azad's comments. Singh slammed Azad for his comments, hinting at a political angle about his tweet.
It is absurd that he (Kirti Azad) is trying to play 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 with that? It is unfortunate to hear these things from fellow cricketers. Maybe they prefer politics over the sport." Harbhajan Singh said.
Recently, Ishan Kishan, part of the World Cup-winning squad, was also asked about his opinion on the controversy, but he refused to indulge in it by asking for 'better questions' from the reporters.
With the controversy gaining more pace with each passing day and elections around the corner, there are sure to be more reactions to Kirti Azad's comments in the coming days.
Who is Kirti Azad?
Kirti Azad is a former Indian World Cup winner in 1983. The off-spinner was part of the Kapil Dev-led team that won India's maiden World Cup title. Azad's international career was short-lived as he played 7 Tests and 25 ODIs for India between 1980 and 1986. However, he was a stalwart in domestic cricket, scoring 4867 runs and taking 162 wickets in 95 Ranji Trophy matches for Delhi.
After he retired from cricket, Azad joined politics initially with the BJP, before moving to Congress in 2019. Azad joined Trinamool Congress (TMC) after meeting TMC chief Mamata Banerjee in Delhi on 23 November 2021.
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