NEW DELHI: Indian batsman K.L. Rahul said he was ‘scared’ to leave home and suffered major self-doubts after being kicked off the tour of Australia with teammate Hardik Pandya over sexist remarks.

The pair were sent home in January after a chat show interview was aired in which Pandya bragged about his success with women as Rahul, sitting alongside, enjoyed his comments, prompting a storm of criticism.

“The last two months have been very, very tough for me,” Rahul told India Today television. “When it happened I started to doubt myself as a person. I was hated nationally and it was not easy. I always thought I was a good person and then I started to believe otherwise.”

The 26-year-old top-order batsman said that he was even ‘scared’ to step out of his house and face uncomfortable questions.

The pair’s bans were later lifted but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has sent the matter to a Supreme Court-appointed ombudsman whose ruling is pending.

Pandya and Rahul have since returned to India national duties and are now playing for their respective teams in the Twenty20 Indian Premier League.

Rahul, who is among three Indian batsmen who have scored centuries in all three formats with Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma, has accumulated 1,905 runs in 34 Tests since his debut in 2014.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2019