NEW DELHI: Bollywood star Anushka Sharma has hit out at legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar after he referenced her while discussing husband Virat Kohli’s lack of match practice.
Sharma starred in a dozen hit films and built a successful career before marrying the India captain but is regularly harassed online by cricket fans whenever her partner fails with the bat.
Kohli’s latest outing on Thursday was one to forget as his Royal Challengers Bangalore crashed to a 97-run defeat to Kings XI Punjab in Dubai, which is hosting this year’s Indian Premier League.
He dropped two catches off KL Rahul that let his Test teammate cruise to a record-breaking century while Kohli was dismissed for one run during the chase. He was also later fined $16,300 for his team’s slow over rate.
Gavaskar was commentating on the match and the celebrated former skipper said it was clear Kohli did not get enough proper practice ahead of the T20 tournament.
He referred to a recent viral video which showed Sharma bowling to Kohli on their apartment terrace in Mumbai while the city’s residents were stuck at home at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
“During the recent lockdown he (Kohli) only practised against Anushka’s bowling... But that is not going to be enough,” he said.
Sharma responded with an Instagram post slamming Gavaskar for his “distasteful” comment.
“I would love for you to explain why you thought of making such a sweeping statement” the 32-year-old wrote.
“It’s 2020 and things still don’t change for me. When will I stop getting dragged into cricket,” she added.
Twitter lit up over the incident with furious fans calling for Gavaskar to be sacked from commentary, while others sent messages of support of the commentator.
Gavaskar was yet to comment publicly.
Sharma and Kohli, 31, began dating in 2014 and have since been a staple in celebrity magazines and newspapers. The couple are expecting their first child in January.