Advertisment

Ollie Robinson to Hardik Pandya: Cricketers Who Have Been Slammed For Sexist Comments

The row over sexist comments in the world of cricket is not new. Here is a look:

author-image
Tripti Shahi
Updated On
New Update
 Sexist Comments cricketer
Sexist Comments cricketers: England's fast bowler Ollie Robinson recently issued an apology for sexist comments that he made in the past, saying that he regrets his actions. The row over sexist comments in the world of cricket is not new. Several cricket players across the world have made distasteful comments on camera or on social media leading to a huge backlash from the public.
Advertisment

Here is a look:

Ollie Robinson

In between April 2012 and June 2013, some of English cricketer Ollie Robinson's tweets included the 'N' word,  comments that Muslim people being connected with terrorism and derogatory comments about women and people of Asian heritage.

In a recent statement, the cricketer said that he is embarrassed by the racist and sexist tweets that he posted over eight years ago. He also said, "I want to make it clear that I'm not racist and I'm not sexist."

The cricketer further added that he deeply regrets his action and is ashamed of making such remarks, and said that he would like to "unreservedly apologise " to anyone he has offended.

Hardik Pandya

Advertisment

In an episode of 'Koffee With Karan' in 2019, Indian Cricketer Hardik Pandya made some highly misogynistic and sexist remarks and was slammed by netizens for the same. In the show, Pandya boasted about how he hooked up with multiple women and talked about how open he is with his parents. He also added that he once told them after losing his virginity, "Aaj mai kar ke aaya."

To another question asked by the show host about why he doesn't ask the name of women in the club, the cricketer replied with, "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."

These statements of Pandya faced a major backlash after which the cricketer apologised and said that he got "carried away with the nature of the show." He was then banned from India' tour to Australia in 2019-2020 and a fine of 20 lakhs was imposed on him.

Sunil Gavaskar

During the IPL 2020 RCB vs King XI Punjab match, commentator and ex-cricket player Sunil Gavaskar blamed actor Anushka Sharma for her husband Virat Kohli's poor performance. Gavaskar said that during the lockdown, Kohli was practising only on Anushka’s bowling, which didn’t help him.

Calling his comment distasteful, Sharma posted an Instagram story. The actor demanded Gavaskar explain what he thought of making such a sweeping statement on a wife accusing her of her husband's game.

Advertisment

The actor further added, "Don't you think you should have an equal amount of respect for me and us?" and "It's 2020 and things still don't change for me. When will I stop getting dragged into cricket and stop being used to pass sweeping statements?"

To the allegations, Gavaskar responded saying that he was not being sexist and was "just stating" what he saw in a video in which Sharma was seen bowling for Kohli.

Chris Gayle

West Indian cricketer Chris Gayle in an interview with Ten network presenter Mel McLaughlin, during the Australian league match, said, "To see your eyes for the first time is nice. Hopefully, we can win this game and have a drink after."

As the presenter became uncomfortable by his comment, he further added, "Don't blush baby."

The cricketer was fined $7,200 for his comment and later also issued an apology. This, however, did not stop him from appearing to mock the fine that he received and posting a tweet that said, "Pockets are empty so djbravo47 paying the dinner bill tonight ... Let's roll DJ. #Champion".

Before this, the cricket player passed another comment in 2014. When asked by a journalist, "How does the pitch feel so far in terms of the training and the weather?", Gayle responded "Well I haven't touched yours yet so I don't know how it feels," before adding "I like your smile; that's nice."

sexist comments Cricketer Players Ollie Robinson
Advertisment