Jay Shah, Suryakumar, and Gambhir carry T20 World Cup Trophy to Siddhivinayak Temple despite backlash

India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, head coach Gautam Gambhir and ICC Chairman Jay Shah took the ICC T20 World Cup trophy to Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak Temple to seek blessings after a successful campaign in the global tournament. Suryakumar posed for pictures alongside Gambhir.

While such visits are made to thank the almighty, there have been criticisms for taking the trophy to a religious place.

#WATCH | Carrying the #ICCWorldCup2026 trophy, Head Coach of Team India, Gautam Gambhir, along with Skipper Surya Kumar Yadav, offered prayers at the Shree Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai pic.twitter.com/yCr9SeEbr6

— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2026

Jay Shah has been at the receiving end, considering his role as the head of the apex body of international cricket. Earlier, Gambhir, Suryakumar and Shah paid a visit to a Hanuman temple with the trophy after India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Former India player and the 1983 World Cup winner Kirti Azad had slammed the move, questioning the need to visit a place with the trophy, which belongs to everyone.

However, he was lambasted by Harbhajan Singh and Gambhir, with the former saying that a temple, mosque, church and gurudwara are the same and no one has the right to question a player or board official.

Gambhir had also hit out at Azad, mentioning that such statements only shift attention from the achievement of the team.

India defeated the USA, Namibia, Pakistan and the Netherlands to top their group. However, the Men in Blue lost to South Africa in the Super 8 stage but bounced back against Zimbabwe and the West Indies to qualify for the semifinals. Suryakumar’s team thumped England in the second semi-final and went on to beat New Zealand in the summit clash.

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