Anushka Sharma vs Sunil Gavaskar: Here's what happened in yesterday's IPL match
Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was one of the commentators during the Thursday IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), which Virat Kohli captains, and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). RCB lost the match by 97 runs with Kohli missing out on two catches.
During his commentary, the former Indian cricketer said, "Inhone lockdown me to bus Anushka ki bowling ki practice ki hain (Virat Kohli has only trained against Anushka’s bowling during the lockdown)."
His comment didn't go well with many people, including Kohli's wife and actress Anushka Sharma, who penned a long note expressing her disapproval.
She wrote: "That, Mr Gavaskar, your message is distasteful is a fact but I would love for you to explain why you thought of making such a sweeping statement on a wife accusing her for her husband's game? I'm sure over the years you have respected the private lives of every cricketer while commenting on the game. Don't you think you should have an equal amount of respect for me and us?"
"I'm sure you can have many other words and sentences in your mind to use to comment on my husband's performance from last night or your words only relevant if you use my name in the process? 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? Respected Mr. Gavaskar, you are a legend whose name stands tall in this gentleman's game. Just wanted to tell you what I felt when I heard you say this," she added.
This is not the first time that the actress has been dragged into a cricket controversy related to Kohli.
Twitter is divided on this issue. While many felt that the comment was in poor taste and demanded Gavasker's removal from the commentary panel, many pointed out that he is only referring to the viral video where Kohli was spotted playing cricket with Anushka at his Mumbai residence during the lockdown.
It seems Gavaskar's comment didn't imply anything unsavoury. However, he should have avoided bringing Anushka altogether, after all, she isn't a part of the game.