Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya, who was served with a show cause notice by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over his 'derogatory' comments against women on the chat show "Koffee with Karan", has expressed his sincere regret over the incident.
Replying to the BCCI notice, Pandya said that he made "certain statements" during the chat show without realising that it could offend someone's sentiments. While expressing "sincere regret", the all-rounder assured that such an incident would never be repeated in the future.
"As you are aware, I made an appearance on the chat show where I have made certain statements without realizing that these could be disrespectful and offend sensitivities of viewers for which I am sincerely regretful," Pandya said in an official statement.
"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 a bad light. 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 the highest regard and will exercise complete discretion and prudence to ensure that such incidents are never repeated in future," the statement added.
Pandya, who shared the couch with teammate KL Rahul on the latest episode of Karan Johar's show, faced backlash for what netizens termed 'sexist' and 'disrespectful' remarks on women.
On the show, he bragged about not asking the names of women at parties and how he watched them move on the dance floor.
Later, Pandya took to social media and apologised for the incident saying he 'may have got a bit carried away with the nature of the show'.
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