'I did not clap in the clip to endorse what Abdul Razzaq said but it was in sarcasm' - Umar Gul pleads innocence after Aishwarya-Razzaq incident

Abdul Razzaq mentioned popular Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai's name in a distasteful regard during a recent press event. Former teammates Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi were also present on stage and they were seen clapping when Razzaq made the comment.

The three cricketers have come under severe criticism in the aftermath of the incident. However, Umar Gul recently came out on social media and tried to defend his actions, saying that he clapped in a sarcastic manner and wasn't on the same wavelength as the former Pakistan all-rounder.

For the unversed, Razzaq was analysing Pakistan's dismal performance in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023, but he got into a mess while trying to explain his point through a tasteless example.

“Younis Khan had good intentions as a captain and it gave me confidence to perform better. Everyone over here is talking about the intention and Pakistan’s team. Actually, we don’t have good intentions to develop and polish players in Pakistan. If you think that by marrying Aishwarya Rai, a good and pious kid would be born, it would never happen," Razzaq said.

A journalist called Basit Subhani lambasted the three former international cricketers in a post on 'X' (formerly known as Twitter).

“What a terrible thing to say! That’s why education and grooming is important. These 3 have travelled the world and yet, something like this is being said by Abdul Razzaq; endorsed by Umar Gull and Shahid Afridi. Very low. This would hurt Aishwarya, her lovely Bachchan family and their millions of fans around the globe. Highly condemned,” Basit wrote on X.

Gul tried to plead innocence by telling his side of the story. He replied to Subhani's tweet and admitted that what Razzaq said was "ethically n morally wrong".

"Dear brother, @SAfridiOfficial bhai and I did not clap in the clip to endorse what Abdul Razzaq said but it was in sarcasm. No1 there appreciated or endorsed what was said by him. It was ethically and morally wrong. Everyone has a different perspective and it’s always wrong to name people who r not even a part of the conversation," the right-arm pacer said.