Brad Hodge apologises to Virat Kohli for his statement on his shoulder injury
Brad Hodge has apologised to Virat Kohli for his comments regarding the Indian skipper's shoulder injury and his participation in the IPL. Hodge had received severe criticism from various quarters after his insinuation that Kohli missed the final Test against Australia to be fit in time for the IPL.
Hodge, in a television interview, had said that Kohli, who missed the series-deciding fourth Test against Australia due to a shoulder injury, was saving himself for the upcoming IPL.Ā
"You'd hope as a sportsman that he's seriously injured," Hodge told Fox Sports.Ā
"If you miss one game of Test match cricket and you're fronting up the next week (in the IPL) ... you'd be pretty dirty if he didn't front up to a Test match and try and win a valuable series against Australia.Ā
"You would think that your captain would get out there and get amongst the fight and get in there."
These statements led to severe outrage on social media by the Indian fans and cricketers. Gautam Gambhir had come out in support of Kohli and slammed Brad Hodge's immature statement. However, Hodge, who will coach Gujarat Lions in the upcoming IPL, has taken to Twitter and posted a lengthy apology, saying "my intention was never to harm, criticise (sic) or be derogatory towards anyone".
āAs a professional sportsperson who has represented his country, I certainly understand what it means to step out on a cricket field donning your nationās
ā Brad Hodge (@bradhodge007) March 29, 2017
He added, āKeeping that in mind, I take this opportunity to apologise to the people of India, cricket fans, the Indian national cricket team and particularly Virat Kohli for my previous comments. My intension was never to harm, criticize or be derogatory towards anyone. They were intended to be light-hearted comments with the utmost respect to the Indian Premier League which I have thoroughly enjoyed through the yearsā
āThe public & fans have every right to be upset, and the backlash I have received has certainly driven the point home,ā he added.
Hodge concluded by saying, āAgain, I am deeply apologetic to the country which has brought me so much joy, and its inspirational leader in Virat Kohli, to whom I mean no ill-intention & respect highly as a professional.ā
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli appears to have been left out of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team for the early part of the tournament due to his shoulder injury. In a repeat of last year's final, RCB is set to open the tournament against defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad on 5th April.Ā
"It's still a few weeks to go before I can be 100 percent on the field," Kohli said in the Post-match presentation of the fourth Test between India and Australia."