Differently-abled Cricket Council of India (DCCI) General Secretary Ravi Chauhan has opened up on speaking to Harbhajan Singh about supposedly mocking the differently-abled people through a trending reel. Chauhan revealed how the former cricketer apologised and vowed to delete the video.
With India beating Pakistan in the final, the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina, and Gurkeerat Singh were seen in a viral video as they were limping trying to impersonate Vicky Kaushal's steps from the new song named 'Tauba Tauba'. In response, the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled referred to the video as 'totally disgraceful'.
Harbhajan later issued a lengthy statement and deleted the clip. Meanwhile, Ravi Chauhan spoke to the Times of India and said it wasn't expected of the 44-year-old, given he has been a supporter of differently-abled sports.
"I spoke to Harbhajan yesterday, and expressed that the entire differently-disabled community was feeling hurt and disappointment with the video, especially as he has been a supporter of differently-abled sports in the past and I told him it wasn't expected of someone of his stature. He immediately apologised and promised to me that he and others will delete this video and I'm glad he kept his promise. I'm sure our cricketing superstars didn't intend to hurt anyone's sentiments."
Harbhajan Singh bowls only 1 over as India overcome Pakistan in the final:
Meanwhile, Harbhajan only bowled 1 over in the final contested at Edgbaston, Birmingham, conceding 8 runs. The likes of Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, and Sohaib Maqsood got promising starts, but failed to convert it to big scores as Pakistan dragged themselves to 156 in 20 overs.
India, meanwhile, stayed ahead in the contest despite losing wickets quickly. Ambati Rayudu starred at the top with 50 off 30 deliveries, while brief but substantial contributions from the middle-order batters propelled India past the target in 19.1 overs.
