Indian skipper Virat Kohli broke his silence on the ongoing controversy involving KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya, who are likely to be banned by BCCI for their sexist comments on a talk show, Koffee with Karan. Reacting to the comments made by the duo, Kohli said that Indian team cricketers don’t align with that views and those were the opinions of the players (Pandya and Rahul).
“We as the Indian cricket team and responsible cricketers don’t align with those views, those were individual opinions. We are still waiting for a decision to be made.
“From the Indian cricket team’s point of view, this changes nothing in our beliefs in the change room, it does nothing to the spirit we have have been able to create. Combinations will have to be thought of once the decision comes out,” the Indian skipper said.
This also means that India will have to wait to name their 12-member squad for the first ODI as it has not been confirmed whether Rahul and Pandya are available for selection or not. On Thursday, COA chairman Vinod Rai recommended a two-match ban for the duo but a decision on them will be announced today.
Pandya, in all likeliness, looks set to be banned while the punishment can be a milder one for Rahul. Hardik talked about women on the show and his comments invited flak from all corners.
On the other hand, Lokesh talked about the India tour of Florida, where the Indian team played two T20Is against West Indies. In what was a controversial revealing, Rahul said that he partied in Miami till the morning of the match and only returned in the morning to find that he is a part of the playing XI.
