Didn’t Know How To Handle It

Cricketers facing reprimands for their on-field behaviour is not unusual but it’s rare for a television appearance to spark nationwide outrage and lead to a suspension. This was the case for KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya in 2019 when their guest appearance on Karan Johar’s Koffee With Karan triggered a massive backlash. Their comments during the show resulted in their suspension ahead of the Australia series.

Opening up about the incident, KL Rahul told Nikhil Kamath, “The interview was a different world. That changed me. Completely changed me. I was a very shy, soft-spoken boy growing up. Then I played for India and became very confident, I had no problem being in a huge group of people. People will know I have been in a room of 100 people because I would talk to everyone, adding that the Koffee With Karan incident “scarred” him.

“Now I don’t (do that) because that interview scarred me massively. Getting suspended from the team. I have never been suspended in school, I have never been punished in school. All this never happened to me. I didn’t know how to handle it,” he told Nikhil Kamath on his podcast. ICYDK: The backlash was so severe that the episode was eventually removed by the streaming platform.

Drawing comparisons with his school days, KL Rahul noted that he had never faced such severe consequences before. “I did mischievous things in schools like chota mota (small things), but nothing to get me expelled from school or my parents have had to come. That was my first, and then you realise how bad it is,” said KL Rahul.

Hardik Pandya’s comments were criticised as sexist, and although KL Rahul attempted to remain composed, he too faced scrutiny from the BCCI. He later told The Times of India that he was “bitter for a bit” and that the episode “affected and bothered” him. “I was angry, but I came out of it all as a more accepting person. I understood that certain things are sensitive, and no matter what you do, certain people will find the bad in you,” he reflected.