Indian cricketer’s comments not in good taste

Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya has put his foot in his mouth, and social media is having a field day at his expense. In the last 48 hours, Pandya has not just received flak that he deserved for coming across as an entitled misogynist on a TV show that filmmaker Karan Johar hosts, he’s also been given a show-cause notice for his televised comments. Most of his remarks are unfit to be printed in this newspaper. Let’s just say Pandya’s parents, whom he invoked more than once on air, might now face snide ones from their neighbours. The cricketer spoke glibly of his poor school record, of repeatedly failing in exams, and finally dropping out of school. K. L. Rahul, less offensive, spoke of how Pandya’s parents were “the coolest”. Pandya said, “With my family, I have been open about everything,” including his exploits with women. He mentioned how at a party he pointed out to his parents the women he had had scenes with. Clips available online show Pandya’s comments were, at the very least, in poor taste. In a tweet, former BCCI general manager Ratnakar

Shetty described Pandya’s conduct as “disgrace to the cricket community”. “It is time the BCCI decides to take corrective steps for cricketers who talk rubbish on public platforms. Hardik

Pandya was a disgrace to the cricket community the way he spoke on Koffee with

Karan show. He has insulted the women and also made a racist remark,” he tweeted.

Also on Twitter, Pandya has been called a “hip hop victim”. There have been pleas from women and men to not normalise such talk as locker room chatter or by saying boys will be boys. We agree. Pandya, on Wednesday, issued an apology on Twitter, where he has 3.05 million followers. “Honestly, I got a bit carried away with the nature of the show,” he said. Harsha Bhogle, cricket commentator, wrote, “It is all very well to issue show-cause notices now to KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya. But I do wish the BCCI spends time in sensitising these young players to life beyond the dressing room; to getting them outside the bubble that is inevitable given the adulation they get.” We couldn’t agree more.

But I do wish the BCCI spends time in sensitising these young players to life beyond the dressing room; to getting them outside the bubble