Kohli distances himself from Pandya’s ‘inappropriate’ comments
SYDNEY: Inappropriate comments have cast a shadow over India’s test celebrations and oneday international preparations.
Virat Kohli has made his displeasure clear, as Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul face suspension amid a sexism scandal.
Kohli is yet to hear from India’s board whether Pandya, a classy allrounder who is normally an automatic selection in India’s ODI team, is free to play today’s SCG series opener.
Pandya and
Rahul’s recent appearance on an Indian talk show, during which the former had detailed how he had bragged to his parents about losing his virginity, has created a storm in their homeland.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India is under mounting pressure to take swift action, having issued both players with showcause notices.
Kohli distanced himself and his team from the views that Pandya and Rahul, who was unlikely to play this weekend regardless, had expressed about women.
‘‘From the Indian cricket team point of view, any inappropriate comments that are made in that scenario are something that we definitely don’t support,’’ Kohli said.
‘‘The two concerned players felt what has gone wrong and they have understood the magnitude.
‘‘It has to hit anyone hard; they will definitely understand the things that have not gone right.
‘‘These are purely individual opinions . . . we definitely, as the Indian cricket team, do not support views like that and that has been communicated.’’
Debate is raging among bigwigs at the BCCI, a conservative institution, about what punishment should be handed down.
A twomatch ban appears most likely, although BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry has used the example of Steve Smith and David Warner in flagging the prospect of tougher penalties.
Smith and Warner were barred from taking part in last year’s Indian Premier League after the Cape Town cheating scandal.
There will not be an Indian selection meeting about the SCG clash until the BCCI board provides an update.
‘‘You have to adjust with the situation,’’ Kohli said.
‘‘We need to go out there and play cricket. All these external factors are not going to derail our motivation or the preparation for the World Cup.’’
Kohli insisted the saga had not taken the shine off India’s maiden test series win in Australia.
‘‘Definitely not going to dampen anything that we’ve achieved,’’ he said.
Jasprit Bumrah, the topranked ODI bowler in the world, who dismantled Australia in the recent test series, has been rested from the three ODIs.
Swing king Bhuvneshwar Kumar, overlooked throughout the test series, headlines the list of touring quicks keen to make their mark. — AAP