Former Pakistani cricketer Abdul Razzaq has tendered a public apology to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, hours after an unsavoury remark on the Ponniyin Selvan actress.
Razzaq, who posted a 27-second video on YouTube, said it was a ‘slip of tongue’ moment that led to the comment.
“Hello, I am Abdul Razzaq and yesterday, during the press conference, we were discussing cricket, coaching and intentions. I had a slip of the tongue and I wanted to give some other example but unintentionally took Aishwarya Ji’s (Rai) name. I apologise to her personally. I did not intend to hurt anyone. I had to give some other example, but mistakenly used her name. I’m really apologise (sic),” the former Pakistani cricketer said.
The apology came after Razzaq faced a wave of criticism from all corners for the unwarranted remark on Rai Bachchan. Even some of his own former teammates came down hard on Razzaq and demanded the cricketer mend his ways.
Not long after the comment went viral, it became a point of discussion on several TV channels and podcasts in both India and Pakistan, with people unanimously criticizing the 43-year-old.
This, however, isn’t the first time Razzaq’s name has been dragged in a controversy. He has had several ‘foot in the mouth’ moments in the past, especially involving the Pakistan and Indian cricket teams.
Meanwhile, one of Razzaq’s former teammates, Shoaib Akhtar, who lambasted the former all-rounder on social media, came to ex-Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi’s defence.
Afridi was also one of the guests at the press conference where the comment was made and reportedly found the remark amusing as he laughed.
Akhtar tweeted that Afridi did not understand the context in the beginning and has since condemned the incident.