Days After Controversy, Suryakumar Yadav and Gambhir Take T20 World Cup Trophy to Siddhivinayak Temple

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India captain Suryakumar Yadav, head coach Gautam Gambhir and ICC chairman Jay Shah visited Mumbai's Siddhivinayak Temple with the T20 World Cup 2026 trophy as part of the team's post-title celebrations.

The trio were seen posing with the trophy inside the temple premises, where fans and officials gathered to witness the moment.

The visit came days after India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to clinch their third T20 World Cup title.

Trophy also taken to Hanuman temple in Ahmedabad

This was not the first temple visit after the victory. Shortly after lifting the trophy in Ahmedabad, Gambhir, Shah and Suryakumar had also taken it to a Hanuman temple in the city.

The visits were part of thanksgiving rituals following India's historic triumph on home soil.

India's victory made them the first team to win three men's T20 World Cup titles and the first to successfully defend the trophy.

Temple visit sparks debate

However, the visits sparked debate after former India cricketer and 1983 World Cup winner Kirti Azad questioned the decision to take the trophy to a temple.

Posting on social media, Azad said the trophy belonged to "1.4 billion Indians of every faith" and suggested it should not be associated with any single religion.

His comments triggered reactions across the cricketing community.

Gambhir and Harbhajan respond

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh defended the players' actions, stating that visiting a temple, mosque, church or gurudwara was a matter of personal faith and should not be criticised.

Gautam Gambhir also dismissed the controversy, saying the remarks were not worth responding to and only distracted from India's achievement.

The head coach added that questioning the players' actions after the pressure they had handled during the tournament was unfair.

India's historic World Cup triumph

India's campaign ended with a dominant win over New Zealand in the final.

Sanju Samson scored 89 off 46 balls - the highest individual score in a men's T20 World Cup final - while Jasprit Bumrah returned figures of 4/15 to seal the victory.

With the triumph, India became the first team to win the T20 World Cup three times and the first host nation to lift the trophy on home soil.