New Delhi: India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has opened up about the impact that the 'Koffee with Karan' controversy had on him, saying the backlash left him "massively scarred" and changed him as a person.
Five years ago, Rahul and fellow cricketer Hardik Pandya faced a nationwide outcry after making comments about women on Bollywood director Karan Johar's talk show. The remarks sparked outrage on social media and led to their suspension ahead of an ODI series against Australia.
"The interview was a different world. That changed me. Completely changed me," Rahul said in a podcast with Nikhil Kamath, which also included Bollywood stars Kriti Sanon and Badshah.
"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.
"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,” he added.
Rahul said that while he was 'mischievous' in school, he had never been suspended or expelled.
"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," he said.
The controversy erupted in 2019 when Rahul and Pandya made comments on the celebrity talk show that were labelled "sexist" and "misogynist." The episode, aired on January 6, featured the cricketers discussing their relationships and crushes and their comments drew severe criticism from fans and former players such as Sunil Gavaskar and Harbhajan Singh.