NEW DELHI – India‘s cricket board on Saturday fined players Hardik Pandyaand Lokesh Rahul $29,000 each for making sexist remarks on a TV chat showthat saw them ordered home from a tour of Australia.
Pandya “must make amends” for boasting about his sexual conquests duringthe celebrity show in which he appeared with Rahul, said an ombudsman whoinvestigated the case.
But with both heading for the World Cup in England and Wales which startsMay 30, the inquiry said the fine should close the controversy.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India said the money from the fineswill be given to 10 widows of paramilitary constables killed in action andto a fund for the blind created by the sporting body.
Star all-rounder Pandya, 25, and opening batsman Rahul, 27, missed severalinternationals because of a suspension imposed when they were sent home.
But after making public apologies, both have returned to the national teamand are playing in the Indian Premier League.
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They have spoken in recent interviews about how they were forced to stayhome, as criticism raged.
“I have no hesitation in observing that the remarks made by the player,even by his own admissions, did offend sensitivities, which should havebeen avoided,” said the ombudsman, D.K. Jain.
“In our country, the game of cricket is often treated as a religion,revered, and the cricketers are idolized,” Jain said in a warning to Pandyaand Rahul to improve their behavior. – APP/AFP
