Hours after cricket fans were left heartbroken following Team India’s loss to Australia in the Finale at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh grabbed the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
A video from the World Cup 2023 match between India and Australia is going crazy viral where Harbhajan Singh can be heard making some comments about Anushka Sharma and Athiya Shetty.
Singh, who was in the Hindi commentary box, has been accused of making ‘sexist’ and ‘misogynistic’ remarks about Virat Kohli’s wife Anushka, and KL Rahul’s wife Athiya Shetty.
During the match, the camera pans towards Anushka and Athiya who were sitting together and talking about something. Seeing them, Singh questions their knowledge on cricket and goes on to say, “Aur yeh main soch raha tha ki baat cricket ki ho rahi hai ya filmon ki. Kyunki cricket ke barein mein toh janta nahin kitni samajh hogi (And I was thinking whether the conversation is happening about cricket or films. Because I am not sure how much understanding they have about cricket).”
This comment against Anushka and Athiya hasn’t gone down well with a section of their fans who brutally trolled the former Indian spinner for his ‘sexist’ remarks. Both Anushka and Athiya were present at the world’s largest stadium to cheer for Team India.
As soon as his comments went viral, Harbhajan Singh received severe backlash online.
“The audacity of the commentators to pass sexist comments on such a broadcast. Hum kab sudhrenge bhai, woh sirf Anushka nahi hai. She’s the wife of Virat Kohli, who has created history recently, and mocking someone while so many people watch is absolutely ridiculous,” observed a user.
“This is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard,” shared another user.
A third user commented, “This is despicable. Misogyny is omnipresent, no matter the subject.”
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
