Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul have been suspended by the BCCI and are out of Indian squad for Australia and New Zealand series | Photo Credit: AP

Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul's international career seems to be in jeopardy ever since the backlash post their appearance on a famous chat show, where the all-rounder made 'sexist' and 'derogatory' remarks on women. The duo was suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and are set to face a probe back home. The duo has also been banned from taking part in any BCCI, ICC or state association related cricket matches until the probe is over.

The Committee of Administrators (CoA) has handed over their case to a six-member committee which will probe the matter and decide the magnitude of the punishment to be handed out to the duo. A ban for a few months can also see them miss the upcoming Indian Premier League and the 2019 World Cup. On Saturday, CoA member Diana Edulji had hinted that duo might miss the World Cup. "So it be," she was quoted as saying by Mumbai Mirror when asked if the duo can be out of India's World Cup scenario.

As the CoA and BCCI wait for the six-member committee to conduct the probe on Pandya and Rahul, Union Minister Babul Supriyo has slammed Edulji for 'destroying' the cricketers' career. In a series of tweets, he reminded the CoA member of ‘Thick’ line between reprimanding someone and destroying them.

Also Read: No Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul at World Cup 2019? 'So it be', says Diana Edulji

"With due & utter respect to Diana Edulji & her contribution to Indian cricket, May I say that her thinking has got ‘fossil’ to contemplate such extreme steps•What Hardik said is deplorable but, there has to be some prudence in the way such senior minds handle the young ones," Supriyo wrote in a tweet.

"There is ‘Thick’ line between reprimanding someone and destroying them !! My plea to these seniors: please behave your ages gentlemen & ladies.. Rest my case," he added.

1/2: With due & utter respect to Diana Edulji & her contribution to Indian cricket, May I say that her thinking has got ‘fossil’ to contemplate such extreme steps•What Hardik said is deplorable but their has to be some prudence in the way such senior minds handle the young ones pic.twitter.com/LEjMytoJsv — Babul Supriyo (@SuPriyoBabul) January 13, 2019

2/2:There is ‘Thick’ line between reprimanding someone and destroying them !! My plea to these seniors : please behave your ages gentlemen & ladies.. Rest my case ⁦@hardikpandya7⁩ ⁦@klrahul11⁩ ⁦@BCCI⁩ #CoffeeWithKaran #Seniors&Prudence #GuidanceWithoutCruelty pic.twitter.com/uF4BxMRQp3 — Babul Supriyo (@SuPriyoBabul) January 13, 2019

Pandya and Rahul appeared together on Koffee with Karan - a chat show hosted by Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar. Pandya made several derogatory remarks on women which sparked outrage on social media with fans slamming the all-rounder. He later apologised claiming he didn't realise his remarks would hurt sentiments of a section of the society while also claiming he got carried away by the nature of the show.

BCCI suspended the duo on an immediate basis also banning them from taking part in any BCCI related competitions. The duo will return back home with Shubman Gill and Vijay Shankar taking their places in the ODI squad. A probe will be conducted once they return back to India.

“Nobody is bigger than the game. Nobody is bigger than the institution. There is a code of conduct, things are mentioned in the contracts. You need to follow these rules and regulations. Every player must understand his or her responsibility. Such loose talk gave a bad name to the BCCI and we had to correct it. Of course, we’re (calling them back). They have to return; what will they do there in Australia? They have not gone for a holiday. They have been suspended,” Edulji had said when asked about their suspension.



