New Delhi: Ishan Kishan dodged a question on former India cricketer Kirti Azad’s controversial remarks regarding the decision to take the T20 World Cup trophy to a temple after India’s victory. India won the T20 World Cup 2026 title after thrashing New Zealand by 96 runs in a lop-sided final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 08.
After India’s victory, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, head coach Gautam Gambhir and ICC president Jay Shah visited a Hanuman temple in Ahmedabad with the trophy to offer prayers. Azad questioned the decision to take the trophy to a temple on social media, saying that the Indian team represents an entire nation, not a particular religion.
His tweet soon went viral, sparking a debate on X. On Tuesday, Kishan was asked for his views on Azad’s remarks as he landed at the Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport in Patna upon his return home. Kishan chose to ignore the question and asked the reporter to ask a better question.
The star wicket-keeper batter asked the reporter to ask a question about the World Cup or the Indian team’s journey, rather than a political controversy. “I have just won such a wonderful World Cup — please ask better questions. What can I say about what Kirti Azad said? Please ask some good questions. Tell me how it feels and how much fun it was,” Kishan said, responding to the reporter’s question.
#WATCH | Patna, Bihar | On India’s ICCT20WorldCup2026 win, Indian cricketer Ishan Kishan says, “It is a great thing for the entire nation and we hope that we play and win the same way in the future as well… I try that more players get inspired to advance ahead…”
On former… pic.twitter.com/MfBmqyvMfY
— ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2026
What did Kirti Azad say about the decision to take T20 World Cup trophy to a temple?
Azad, who was part of the Kapil Dev-led side that won India’s maiden ODI World Cup in 1983, is currently an MP from Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. He questioned the decision to take the T20 World Cup trophy to a temple, highlighting that no such thing was done when Kapil & Co. won the ODI World Cup in 1983.
Azad said the Indian team at the time consisted of players from all faiths and that the trophy belongs to the country and not a particular religion.
Check out his tweet:
How did Ishan Kishan perform in T20 World Cup 2026?
Kishan was one of India’s best performers during their title-winning campaign at the T20 World Cup 2026. Kishan was India’s first-choice opener ahead of Sanju Samson at the start of the tournament and played a key role in helping India win all four of their group-stage games. Kishan smashed a quickfire 61 against Namibia and followed it up with a match-winning knock of 77 runs against Pakistan.
The explosive left-hander also smashed a brilliant 54 in the final against New Zealand and finished as the second-highest run-getter for India in the tournament with 317 runs in 9 matches at an impressive strike rate of over 193.
Harbhajan Singh schools Kirti Azad over his controversial remarks
Meanwhile, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh also decided to school Kirti Azad on his controversial remarks, slamming him for playing politics over the issue. Harbhajan said the Indian team can take the trophy to a temple, mosque or a church and that there is no problem if someone decides to revisit their faith after their wish was fulfilled.
“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?” said Harbhajan.
“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.