KL Rahul Opens Up About Infamous Koffee With Karan Controversy, Says ‘That Was a Learning Experience’

In a unique turn of events, cricketers KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya found themselves in hot water after their appearance on Karan Johar's 'Koffee With Karan' show in 2019. Their controversial statements caused a nationwide outrage, leading to their suspension just before the Australia series. The cricketers were accused of making sexist, misogynistic, and racist remarks, sparking a heated debate on the appropriate behavior for sports personalities in the public eye.

Speaking on the infamous episode for the first time, Rahul admitted the incident’ scared’ him. “The interview was a different world. That changed me, completely changed me. I was a very shy, soft-spoken boy growing up. Then I played for India and became very confident, I had no problem being in a huge group of people. People will know I have been in a room of 100 people because I would talk to everyone,” he continued.

“Now I don’t do that because that interview scarred me massively. Getting suspended from the team. I have never been suspended in school, I have never been punished in school. All this never happened to me. I didn’t know how to handle it,” added the star Indian batter.

Such was the impact of that interview, that the makers had to remove the episode from the streaming platform. The wicket-keeper batter drew comparisons from his school days and revealed that he had never faced such severe consequences before. “I did mischievous things in schools like chota mota (small things), but nothing to get me expelled from school or my parents have had to come. That was my first, and then you realise how bad it is,” said Rahul.

While Pandya’s comments were criticised as sexist and Rahul, who remained composed, too faced a probe from the BCCI. He said that he was ‘bitter for a bit’ and that the episode ‘affected and bothered’ him. “I was angry, but I came out of it all as a more accepting person. I understood that certain things are sensitive, and no matter what you do, certain people will find the bad in you,” he reflected.