Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul have been suspended pending an inquiry into their comments during a talk show, ruling them out of the ODI series against Australia starting Saturday.
The cricketers, who have been in the eye of a storm following their remarks on ‘Koffee with Karan’, were omitted from the line-up for the first ODI in Sydney.
“Both Pandya and Rahul have been suspended pending an inquiry,” the Committee of Administrators (CoA) chairman Vinod Rai is quoted as saying by PTI.
Moreover, the duo is heading back home from Australia to face the inquiry.
The BCCI has convened the six-member panel to probe into the matter and the cricketers will face soon after coming back to India according to News 18.
According to reports, the decision to hand them suspensions came after Rai’s CoA colleague Diana Edulji recommended suspension till further action against the two. This was after the BCCI’s legal team refused to declare the duo’s comments a violation of the code of conduct.
Edulji had initially suggested a two-match suspension for the duo but referred the matter to the legal cell after Vinod Rai agreed with her and recommended the same.
“It is imperative that players be put under suspension till further course of action is decided for this misconduct as was done in case of (BCCI) CEO (Rahul Johri) when he was sent on leave on sexual harassment matter,” read Edulji’s response to the legal opinion which is in possession of PTI.
Their remarks on the show were also condemned by India captain Virat Kohli, who called them inappropriate and asserted that the side does not stand by “those individual opinions”.
