Amid the row over Hardik Pandya’s sexist comments on ‘Koffee With Karan’ which landed him in massive trouble for the two, Hardik’s father, Himanshu Pandya, stated that his son is an ‘innocent boy’ and his views on the tv show should not be taken seriously.
On the day when Hardik got to know of his fate – suspension till further action – his father told was quoted by a news website saying, “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 [his comments] should not be viewed very seriously or negatively. He is an innocent boy with a very fun- loving nature.”
Hardik, who was the guest along with his national teammate KL Rahul, had made some sexist and misogynist comments during his interaction with Bollywood director, producer Karan Johar. It prompted massive criticism on social media, which was followed by an apology on Twitter.
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“After reflecting on my comments on Koffee With Karan, I would like to apologise to everyone concerned who I may have hurt in any way. Honestly, I got a bit carried away with the nature of the show. In no way did I mean to disrespect or hurt anyone’s sentiments. Respect,” his social media post read.
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) January 9, 2019
But the apology came to a tad too late, as the BCCI and CoA took note of the matter on Wednesday and issued show cause notices to both Hardik and Rahul, ordering them to respond within 24 hours. Pandya did respond, and in an official statement, regretted his actions and apologised again, but to no avail.
The BCCI and CoA dropped both the players from the first ODI against Australia in Sydney, before announcing that both the players have been suspended till further action, and have been ordered to return to India.