Former India cricketer Ashok Malhotra on Wednesday (November 1) expressed regret for his derogatory remarks on former Assam players.

While commentating during a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match between Assam and Bengal in Mohali on Tuesday (October 31), Malhotra termed the Assam cricketers of his time as "second-class citizens."

"Humare zamane mein Assam ke team ko second-class citizens mana jata thaa (During my playing days, the Assam team was considered second-class citizens),” Malhotra said on-air.

His comments created quite a stir on social media, leading to Ashok Malhotra issuing an apology with a tweet.

“I apologise profusely if I have hurt Assam people’s sentiments with my comments during the Assam v Bengal game last evening. I am sorry. It was totally unintentional & was trying to speak about their progress. I regret it and give an unconditional apology,” the 66-year-old wrote on X.

Coming to the match, Assam thrashed Bengal by eight wickets to qualify for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy quarterfinals.

Chasing 139 to win, Assam rode on skipper Riyan Parag’s unbeaten 50 off 31 balls to overhaul the target with 13 deliveries to spare.

After the game, a video of Parag surfaced on social media, in which he can be seen making some animated gestures. Apparently, Parag was trying to convey that the Assam team today is superior to its Bengal counterparts.