'I would not have gone down that route' - Ravi Shastri opens up on Gavaskar-Anushka controversy

The head coach of India cricket team Ravi Shastri opined on the controversy that sparked between the former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, wife of current India skipper Virat Kohli in September. Gavaskar was at the receiving end of hate and criticism after his remarks on Virat and Anushka during the commentary in the game between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) on September 24.

Speaking about the batting performance of RCB captain, Kohli, Gavaskar had said on-air, “Lockdown tha to sirf Anushka ki bowling ki practice ki unhone, wo video dekhi hai, usse to kuch nahi hona hai” which roughly translates to – “During the lockdown he practised only Anushka’s bowling, I had seen in a video. But that is not going to be enough.”

However, a few words were misquoted on social media and the former captain had to face the wrath of the same. It had also turned into a controversy after Anushka had spammed the 71-year-old for his ‘distasteful’ comments and dragging her name into the game.

After her outburst on Instagram, the Bollywood actress was trolled by several quarters including former cricketers for misinterpreting the statements made by the veteran cricketer and reacting without knowing the entire scenario.

Ravi Shastri’s stance on Anushka and Gavaskar controversy

A month later, the head coach Shastri cleared his stance on the whole controversy. The former cricketer backed the Bollywood actress saying that Anushka Sharma is entitled to express her opinions if she felt hurt by Gavaskar’s comments.

“If Anushka Sharma felt it, she is entitled to say. Whether the comment made by Sunil Gavaskar is agreeable or not, I would not have gone down that route myself,” Ravi Shastri told Times Now.

Nonetheless, after Anushka’s outburst on the whole issue, Gavaskar had reiterated that the whole situation was blown out of proportion. He clarified that he never blamed Anushka for Virat’s failures and just made a reference to the video which went viral on social media where Virat could be seen batting on the bowling by his wife during the lockdown.

“I did not make any sexist comment. I said Virat Kohli didn’t get time to practice during the lockdown. We all saw how Virat Kohli was practicing on his terrace and Anushka was bowling to him. I just said Virat only got chance to practice on Anushka’s bowling,” Gavaskar had said.