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'And endorsing Kamla Pasand is iconic?': Sehwag called out for hypocrisy after passing 'icon' remark on Kohli, Gambhir
Sehwag's comments did not sit well with users as they vented their frustration on the former India opener.
Former India star Virender Sehwag has landed in hot waters after his statement on reminding Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir that they are icons irked fans. As the chaos between Kohli and Gambhir broke out on Monday, Sehwag said that the two 'icons' should not set a bad precedent for kids with such behaviour, but the same lines came back to haunt him as people cornered the former India opener for hypocrisy in view of him appearing in an endorsement for an Indian tobacco brand.
Sehwag said: "I always say one thing, that these guys are icons of the country. If they do or say anything, millions of kids follow them and probably think 'If my icon has done this, I would too'. When you're on the ground, these things don't look nice. My own kids can lip-read and they very well understand Ben Stokes. So that is when I feel bad. If you're saying such things, if my kids can read it, others can too and tomorrow they will think that if they (Kohli and Gambhir) can say it, so can I".
Also Read - 'Bloody... I want to give him...': Kohli's exact words that infuriated Gambhir, sparked ugly fight in IPL 2023: Report
The comments did not sit well with users as they vented their frustration on Twitter, not only targeting Sehwag, but also India legend Sunil Gavaskar, who along with Viru, appeared in the endorsement. Incidentally, both Sehwag and Gavaskar had demanded a much severe punishment for Kohli and Gambhir following their spat, saying that the 100 percent fine imposed by the BCCI is not enough and that banning them could limit such altercations in the future. Well, fans were quick to give the two a piece of their mind.
Below are some of the reactions:
Meanwhile, Gavaskar had said: "My point, do something which will make sure, these things don't happen again. If it has to you know, like it happened with Harbhajan and Sreesanth 10 years ago, that you have to ask them to maybe step aside for a couple of matches. Make sure you do something that ensures that these things don't happen and also something that will hurt the team. That's a stiff one."
Sehwag and Gavaskar appeared in an endorsement for 'Kamla Pasand' last week – aired during an IPL 2023 match - that sent people into utter surprise. Earlier, Bollywood icons such as Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar and Shahrukh Khan too had appeared in tobacco brand endorsements, which led to its own public backlash.
