Hardik Pandya is not Mr. Popular with fans or the BCCI right now after he made certain comments on Koffee with Karan which were deemed sexist. The man did take to Twitter and apologise for what he said after he was slammed big time on the internet.
But the BCCI was not impressed by the sincerity of the apology and felt it was more of a case of damage control. The body issued a show cause notice to both Pandya and KL Rahul who had also made controversial statements on the show. With 24 hours to respond, Pandya responded by giving a statement in which he said he ‘sincerely’ regretted his comments.
“I made an appearance on the chat show where I have made certain statements without realising that these could be disrespectful and offend sensitivities of viewers for which I am sincerely regretful,” it stated as quoted by PTI.
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“I would like to assure you that there was no malice or any sort of ill-intent on my part to offend anyone or portray any section of the society in bad light,” Pandya added.
“I made these statements in the flow of the show and had not comprehended the extent to which my statements would be found offensive. Rest assured, I hold the BCCI in highest regard and will exercise complete discretion and prudence to ensure that such incidents are never repeated in future. Upon realisation of my mistake I have also issued a public apology on my official social media handles this morning, prior to receiving the Notice,” he concluded.
Whether or not this second apology is from the heart or an effort to cushion the blow is not clear. But in all honesty, Pandya needs to think before he speaks. Had he done so, there would have been no need to issue an apology in the first place.