Hardik Pandya was subjected to racist comments online after Indian television actress Krystle D’Souza posted a photo on Instagram along with the cricketer which was captioned, “Mere Bhai Jaisa Koi Hard ich Nahi Hai”.
No sooner than the post went up, the Mumbai Indians (MI) star all-rounder was trolled mercilessly in the comments section with a few Instagram users calling him “creepy” and also passed racist comments.
Replying to the post, a user identified as Sameer, asked Hardik the reasons why he didn’t join the Windies World Cup squad. “Kaalu bhai. Aap West Indies team ke World Cup squad main select kyun nahi huye? (Why didn’t you get selected for the West Indies World Cup squad?)” the reply read.
However, Hardik got support from Krystle, who called the user as “mean and obnoxious”. Thereafter, actor, Aparshakti Khurana, brother of Ayushman Khurana, also mentioned that one should support Hardik instead of mocking him, especially before a tournament like the World Cup.
“I think you should not write such comments and definitely not use such language. We all love Hardik because he is a performer. You should rather encourage the Indian team, especially before the World Cup,” Aparshakti wrote.
Krystle also replied to Khurana’s message, saying: “That’s so well put! People are so mean and obnoxious and just because they are sitting behind a screen typing, they think they can get away with anything! I guess ignorance is bliss in this case! Their words make no difference to his superb performance… BUT thank you.”
Hardik was handed a provisional ban earlier this year followed by a Rs 20 lakh fine for his sexiest comments on a talk show ‘Koffee with Karan’. Following the outrage, he publicly apologised for his comments on Twitter and to the BCCI ombudsman but continues to bear the anger of trolls.
The 25-year-old has picked in India’s 15-man squad for the forthcoming World Cup. In IPL season 12, the Baroda lad has scored 380 runs at an average of 47.50 and has taken 14 wickets in 14 matches.
