Harbhajan Singh under fire for sexist remark on Anushka Sharma and Athiya Shetty during World Cup 2023 match

During the highly anticipated World Cup 2023 match between India and Australia, Harbhajan Singh, a former cricketer and part of the Hindi commentary team, has come under severe criticism for making a seemingly sexist remark directed at Bollywood actresses Anushka Sharma and Athiya Shetty.

The incident occurred when the camera captured Anushka Sharma and Athiya Shetty in the stands at the Narendra Modi Stadium, supporting their respective spouses, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, who were playing in the tournament. Harbhajan, in the Hindi commentary box, made a comment that has since been labeled 'misogynistic' by social media users.

During the commentary, Harbhajan Singh remarked, "Aur yeh main soch raha tha ki baat cricket ki ho rahi hai ya filmon ki. Kyunki cricket ke barein mein toh janta nahi kitni samajh hogi (And I was thinking whether the conversation is happening about cricket or films. Because I am not sure how much understanding they have about cricket)."

The comment quickly ignited a firestorm on social media, with users expressing their outrage over what they deemed a sexist and disrespectful remark. Fans pointed out that such comments were not only derogatory towards Anushka Sharma but also disrespectful to Athiya Shetty and women in general.

"Hindi commentators openly mocking #anushkasharma on her understanding of cricket. Hum kab sudhrenge bhai, woh sirf Anushka nahi hai, she's the wife of #ViratKohli, who has created history recently, and mocking someone while so many people are watching is absolutely ridiculous," one user tweeted.

Another user expressed their discontent, stating, "The commentator saying that Anushka and Athiya must be talking about films during the India vs Aus WC finals because 'Cricket ki Zyaada samajh toh hogi nahi' is despicable. Misogyny is omnipresent, no matter the subject."