Incorrigible O’Keeffe explains himself , but offers no apology

Melbourne, December 30

After the win, Virat Kohli talked about India’s domestic cricket. “Credit must go to first-class set-up in India, which challenges our fast bowlers in India, and that helps them abroad,” the skipper said. Also, Jasprit Bumrah again talked about having developed as a bowler in the Ranji Trophy matches.

The team focussing on first-class cricket was deliberate — India were upset with cricketer-turned-commentator Kerry O’Keefe for ridiculing Indian domestic cricket set-up. O’Keefe had said that Mayank Agarwal must have scored a Ranji Trophy triple century against “Jalandhar Railways Canteen Staff”.

Yesterday he went a step further and ridiculed the complexity of Indian names. “Why would you call your kid Cheteshwar Jadeja?” he asked, mixing up the two names he had been struggling to pronounce, and spoke with put on ‘Indian’ accent. His comments came during a Test in which Australian fans were ejected from the ground for racist chants against Indian spectators and players. O’Keefe’s comments were interpreted as racist and xenophobic.

O’Keefe wrote an open letter to Indian players and fans and explained himself, but offered no apology for his comments.

“I am coming to terms with how negatively those words have been interpreted,” he wrote. “That interpretation is not who I am. It is not what I represent. My style as a commentator is to attempt to find a quirky view to lighten up some of the serious analysis.”

“I pride myself on doing extensive research before a match and when I stumbled over the names of Pujara and Jadeja on Day Four, I took a swipe at myself for getting them wrong,” he added, and wrote that Harsha Bhogle is “my dear friend and colleague”. 

“I respect India, its cricketers and its supporters for their deep love of the game and it hurts me to think a couple of misplaced attempts at humour might compromise our mutual joy in all things cricket,” O’Keefe wrote. — Agencies.