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Published 10:15 IST, June 14th 2020

Became selfish after suspension, failed: KL Rahul opens up on Hardik-Koffee row & comeback

Team India's man for all seasons KL Rahul opened up about a dark phase of his life when he faced suspension and the wrath of fans in the controversial TV show

Reported by: Koushik Narayanan
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Team India's man for all seasons KL Rahul opened up about a dark phase of his life when he faced suspension and the wrath of fans in the controversial TV show with teammate Hardik Pandya. The duo was sent back home from the midst of a tour in Australia in 2019 and was suspended from all forms of cricket by the BCCI for the comments made on the Koffee With Karan show. However, both Rahul and Hardik returned stronger and with more determination and shut down their critics with a string of clinical performances. 

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'I was tempted'

In an interview with India Today, K L Rahul divulged into the details of what went through his head while he remained in suspension. The wicketkeeper-batsman revealed that he was tempted to be selfish and play for himself but failed to do so. Further, the Karnataka batsman credited the change in his thought process after 2019 for his consistent performances and said that he motivated himself to go out and play for the team and do what the side wants him to. Talking about the change in the mindset, K L Rahul said that he had realized that he had a good 11-12 years left in his career and that he wanted to focus on becoming a better cricketer and a team player. 

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The Koffee with Karan row

On the show, Hardik Pandya boasted about his sex life to his parents and they were fine with it and also revealed how they felt proud when he pointed out multiple women in a party on who interests him. The cricketer also said the man who has ‘talent’ wins the girl after Rahul said it’s up to the girl on the question "If you all hit on the same women, then how do you decide?"   Pandya was slammed mercilessly for his sexist, misogynist, and racist comments. Some of his statements that sparked a row were when he stated that he likes to ’observe’ women ‘move’ as he was from ‘black side’ on why he never asked for their names.

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Updated 10:15 IST, June 14th 2020