Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya Wednseday offered "regrets" in response to a show cause notice for his comments on women on a TV show, which triggered a massive outrage and might prompt the BCCI to bar players from such appearances.
Pandya and teammate K L Rahul were Wednesday issued show cause notices by the BCCI for their remarks on women which triggered a social media storm. Regret and not apology was what Pandya offered in his reply.
"I made an appearance on the chat show where I have made certain statements without realising that these could be disrespectful and offend sensitivities of viewers for which I am sincerely regretful," stated Pandya's response, a copy of which is with PTI.
"I would like to assure you that there was no malice or any sort of ill-intent on my part to offend anyone or portray any section of the society in bad light," he added.
Pandya vowed never to repeat the behaviour.
"I made these statements in the flow of the show and had not comprehended the extent to which my statements would be found offensive. Rest assured I hold the BCCI in highest regard and will exercise complete discretion and prudence to ensure that such incidents are never repeated in future," he said.
The show in question was 'Koffee with Karan', hosted by film-maker Karan Johar, and Rahul, who was the more restrained of the two in his answers, has neither responded to the show cause notice nor reacted to the criticism as yet.
The duo had been given 24 hours to give an explanation
"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."
When asked why he didn't ask women their name in a club, Pandya responded by saying, "I like to watch and observe how they (women) move. I'm little from the black side so I need to see how they move."
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