Panaji: Former Indian pacer S Sreesanth Monday took a dim view of sexist remarks made by cricketers Hardik Pandya and K L Rahul on a popular TV show even as he hoped the “match winning players”, currently under suspension, will be back in action soon.
Sreesanth, however, also said that there are others who have made “bigger mistakes” than the duo. “What happened was wrong. They (Pandya and Rahul) said some wrong things. But there are others who have made bigger mistakes than these but are still playing. They are in different fields and not only in cricket,” he told reporters here while responding to a query over a controversy fuelled by Pandya and Rahul. The remarks made by the duo during the television show, Koffee with Karan are perceived to be sexist and “crass”. Taking a serious note of the incident, the BCCI suspended both the cricketers pending an enquiry.
“Whatever happened was very bad. But at the same time, the World Cup is around the corner. Both Hardik and Rahul are good cricketers,” Sreesanth said, adding that the duo are “match-winning players” and will be back on the field. Responding to a query about his cricketing career, the fast-medium-pace bowler hoped the ban on his playing in the first class cricket would be lifted soon.
The BCCI, in September 2013, had banned Sreesanth for life amid allegations of spot fixing. In July 2015, he was acquitted in the spot-fixing case. In October 2017, the Kerala High Court restored the life ban on Sreesanth. “If the ban gets lifted this month or the next month, then I will be the happiest person,” Sreesanth said, adding that he would like to play first class matches before vying for a place in Team India.
The cricketer said he would walk out of cricket if his performance is not up to the mark. “In such scenario, I will call it a day because a lot of youngsters are there, and it will be great for Indian cricket as well as for my home state Kerala. I should not be hanging around because I am Sreesanth and the ban got lifted. If I am not doing well, I will walk away from the game,” he said.
