Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul recently landed themselves in hot waters for their sexist and misogynistic remarks againt women on Karan Johar's popular chat show Koffee With Karan 6. While both Pandya and Rahul have been at receiving end of heavy criticism from all quarters, Hardik Pandya's father Himanshu Pandya has now come out in support of his son's indecent remarks on the show.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have suspended both Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul till the completion of the enquiry for their inappropriate comments. After his suspension, Gillette has also terminated Hardik Pandya's contract from endorsing their products and issued a statement saying that they don't support his statements and don't want carry their association with him any longer.
Hardik Pandya may have been getting grilled from every corner of his life, but his father Himanshu Pandya has defended his statements by saying that his son was just trying to entertain the audience adding that his words should be not be taken seriously.
"I don't think people should read too much into his comments. It was an entertainment show and his comments were made in a light-hearted manner. He was only looking to entertain the audience. So, it (comments) should not be viewed very seriously or negatively. He is an innocent boy with a very fun- loving nature," Himanshu Pandya was quoted as saying by Mid-Day.
Pandya was particularly guilty of derogating women as he narrated his off-field encounters. One of the many controversial things said by the all-rounder was, "Aaj mai kar ke aya" – referring to the time he lost his virginity.
After facing severe backlash, Pandya had apologised for his comments on social media and said that he "got carried away with the nature of the show."
Streaming platform Hotstar has also taken down the particular episode of Koffee with Karan 6 featuring Pandya and Rahul from all their social media handles.
A large section of people have also been venting out their anger and lambasting Karan Johar for washing his hands off the whole controversy. Some questioned why Karan Johar did not stop Pandya and Rahul from saying that was unacceptable while some slammed the filmmaker left, right and centre for dishing out the cricketers' sexual desires.
BCCI has now announced Pandya and Rahul's replacement. The All-India Senior Selection Committe has decided to bring all-rounder Vijay Shankar and batsman Shubman Gill on board. While Shankar will join the team before the start of the 2nd ODI in Adelaide, Gill will be a part of the squad for the ODI series in Australia and the tour to New Zealand.
