Veteran Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh is another addition to the list of people who criticized Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul. The two cricketers who are now suspended by BCCI over their controversial comments on the show Koffee With Karan, were not sounding cool in the show, said Harbhajan. The spinner added Rahul and Hardik were a fool, not cool.
Rahul and Pandya made sexist and racist comments in the show. They opened up about their personal lives but didn't keep a check on their tongue while talking about it.
Pandya bragged how cool his family is and revealed how he used to introduce his girlfriends to parents. "At a party, my parents asked me acha tera wala [your women] kaun sa hai, so I said yeh, yeh, yeh [pointing out to some women] and they were like 'waah proud of u beta'," Pandya had said.
"When I lost my virginity, I came home and said, 'Mein karke aaya hai aaj (I had sex today)'," he added.'
Slamming the two cricketers, Harbhajan said, "It [the suspension] was bound to happen. The BCCI has taken the right decision. That's the way forward too. In this case, there was a lot of talk about sexism, racism and other ill-natured comments. You don't tell these kinds of things on national television. We don't even discuss these things with our friends."
"They have openly said.. 'I have done this, I have done that'. It was shocking to me. Many of my seniors, my friends have been talking about it and it has been shocking to all of them.
"He [Hardik] tried to look cool on TV by putting other players also on the same level. People might think that Harbhajan Singh is one of them, Anil Kumble is also one of them and Sachin Tendulkar is also one of them. We are not like them.
"This is wrong. They need to understand they play cricket and people treat them as gods. They can't go out and say such things while pretending to be cool. You're making fool out of yourself. This definitely was going to happen."
Harbhajan thinks the two cricketers have ruined their image which may not be revamped no matter how many suspensions they get.
"Look, the punishment could be a two-match or three-match ban. That will not change anything. Their reputation was at stake, they have lost the trust of their teammates. If he comes and stands next to you at a party, would you like to stand next to him? I will not travel with these two guys in the same bus because if my daughter, if my wife is travelling in the team bus.. how would they feel? You are looking at women in only one angle? That's not right.
"It's actually hurting us. He is bringing everyone's reputation on the stake, including Sachin Tendulkar's and all that of these great players who have played for the country for more than 20 years.
"He's talking about using other teammates' room. 'C'mon man what are you talking about? You have been in the team for only one year. What do you know about the team?'
"We never created this kind of culture...party till 5 and come to play the next day. 'You're here to play cricket not to do this kind of stuff. When you have free time, you can enjoy, do what you want to do.'
Harbhajan questioned BCCI's Anti-Corruption Unit for not monitoring players during tours. "Obviously, the ACU needs to see, which player is going where. The ACU should report to the BCCI. Where was the ACU when KL [Rahul] was out till 5 in the morning," Harbhajan added.
"The rules now are so strict. No one can come to your rooms without prior permission? Where was the ACU?"
(With India Today Inputs)
