Cricket Scandals: When Koffee with Karan Brewed Trouble for Rahul and Pandya
Cricketers are the role models of the new generation, as they find their sports idols at a young age in the form of stars such as Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and many more. Whatever they say both on and off the field also holds an impact on their fans, as they try to become like them.
But sometimes, players go on to say things on television that they are not supposed to, putting a negative impact on those who made them their idols. A similar incident took place when India’s two modern-day greats, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul, went to Karan Johar’s show Koffee with Karan. Let’s take a look at the complete scenario and how the players faced the aftermath.
The Talk Show Fallout
During 2018-19, cricketers have gained a lot of popularity and were invited across a number of talk shows, such as Comedy Nights with Kapil, where various known players were already invited. Karan Johar also invited two known stars of the Indian cricket team, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya, to his show, Koffee with Karan.
This was a historic show, and during its shoot, both hosts and players thought it would be a hit. Not only were the controversies able to make this show historic, but it was also for the very first time that Indian cricketers were invited to the show being hosted by Karan Johar.
After the episode came out, it received a lot of criticism from the fans and media, where KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya came into the spotlight. Hardik Pandya’s comments throughout the show were deemed as misogynistic, and as a result, this matter quickly spread all over the Internet.
Pandya talked about the relations he had in the past and how he told his parents about his first experiences. Along with that, he also talked about his experience in the nightclubs, but the way he described the same drew a lot of attention and criticism from the fans and the media. KL Rahul was also trapped in this situation, receiving hatred.
The reason why Rahul was also being targeted was that he remained quiet when Pandya was passing such derogatory remarks. Viewers marked this episode of Koffee with Karan and the remarks of Hardik Pandya with words such as “crass,” “misogynistic,” and “cringe-worthy.”
Due to the backlash, Hotstar and other digital streaming platforms removed the episode and it’s clips, and later issued an apology for the same. Later, Hardik Pandya also talked about the incident, saying that he “got a bit carried away” and didn’t want to hurt anyone’s sentiments with the comments he had made.
The show host, Karan Johar, talked about the same, saying that the players might have crossed boundaries on the show, and also took some responsibility for the same. He further said that he had some sleepless nights following the criticism, and was a lot worried about the impact of the same on the careers of KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya.
Aftermath of the Controversy
The Koffee with Karan episode featuring Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul was aired in January 2019 and immediately received a lot of backlash. It was removed from the streaming platform Hotstar, and all of its TV reruns were also stopped. Along with that, Star India also received various legal complaints due to the comments made by the players.
Following this, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya were immediately suspended by the BCCI from all forms of cricket. But this was a provisional suspension, and they were sent back from the Australia tour, missing out on the remaining matches of the series. Along with that, both players were also banned from the India tour of New Zealand as well which took place in the same year.
But this was definitely not where it was about to end, as the BCCI issued an internal inquiry for the same. It was done by the CoA (Committee of Administration), and the ban was lifted from both players within a few weeks. But they had to pay 20 lakh rupees in the form of a fine, which was donated to the charities for women and the underprivileged.
Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul also issued public apologies for the event which took place. Along with that, Rahul revealed later that due to this scandal, he had suffered from various sleepless nights and also described the period as a scary one for him.
Virat Kohli, who was the Indian captain at that time, said:
From the Indian cricket team point of view, any inappropriate comments that are made in that scenario are something that we definitely don’t support and the two concerned players felt what has gone wrong and they have understood the magnitude of what’s happened.
Harbhajan Singh also talked about the incident, saying that he would never share the same dressing room with Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul following the incident. But later on, he also took his comments back, saying that both players have now learned their lesson. Ravi Shastri, who was the coach at that time, said that an internal inquiry team would be enough to address the issue.
The Comeback Trail
KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya made their most-awaited comebacks for the team in 2019, after spending a few matches away due to suspension. In the 2019 World Cup, KL Rahul played 9 matches and scored 361 runs at an average of 45.12, with a century and 2 half-centuries. Hardik Pandya also scored 226 runs in 9 matches at an average of 32.28, and also took 10 wickets.
Rahul took a reinvention of his role, as he was announced as the vice captain of the team in 2021 in the T20I format. Along with that, he also played as a wicket-keeper in the limited-overs format, showcasing his versatile style of play. He was also the leading run scorer for Punjab Kings in IPL 2020 and 2021, adding a lot more to his credibility.
Further, he also made an impactful comeback in the Test format during the 2021 England tour, where he smashed a magnificent century. He was also announced as the captain of the Indian cricket team in the ODI and Test formats for a few games. Rahul also admitted that he had learnt a lot of lessons from the incident which took place in the show.
For Hardik Pandya, the comeback story has been sort of a redemption arc. Following his performances in the 2019 World Cup and also the IPL, leading Gujarat Titans to win the IPL title for the first time in IPL 2022. Fans, who once spread a lot of hatred towards him, now started to love him for his calm leadership and personality.
Comments