Ball wasn’t in my court: Hardik Pandya on ‘Koffee with Karan’ row

TIL Desk Sports/ Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has opened up about the infamous controversy that saw him and K.L. Rahul face sanctions over their sexist comments on a chat show “We as cricketers did not know what was going to happen. The ball was not in my court, it was in someone else’s court where they had to take the shot and that’s a very vulnerable place you don’t want to be,” Pandya told.

Pandya and Rahul had to face a lot of wrath over their sexist comments on “Koffee with Karan” last year. Despite an apology to fans and their own teammates, they were suspended by the BCCI and ousted from a three-match ODI series against Australia. Besides, the duo was later fined Rs 20 lakh each by the BCCI.

Ombudsman D.K. Jain directed the players to pay Rs 1 lakh each to the widows of 10 constables in paramilitary forces who had lost their lives on duty. Pandya and Rahul were also asked to deposit Rs 10 lakh each in the fund created for the promotion of cricket for blind in the country. Filmmaker Karan Johar, who is the host of the chat show, had also said that he felt “very responsible” about the repercussions that the cricketers had to face.