Renowned poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar has issued an apology(of sorts) to Indian batting great Virender Sehwag after criticising him for his comments on Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur.
Akhtar earlier called Sehwag "a hardly literate player" indirectly after the cricketer trolled Gurmehar, who is in the eye of a storm over her stance against student body Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
However, in a complete turnaround, Akhtar Tweeted saying Sehwag was ‘undoubtedly a great player’ and took back his ‘rather harsh words’ after he ‘clarified he was just being facetious’.
Akhtar also Tweeted a message for Sehwag’s former opening partner Gautam Gambhir.
Kaur, a student of Delhi's Lady Shri Ram College, had posted on Facebook a photograph of herself holding a placard that read: "I am a student from Delhi University. I am not afraid of ABVP. I am not alone. Every student of India is with me", following last week's violence in Ramjas College in Delhi University.
The post went viral online. She also held a poster, saying 'Pakistan did not kill my dad, war killed him'.
Following this, Sehwag on February 26 posted his image holding a placard which read: "I did not score two triple centuries, my bat did," and said: "Bat me hai Dum! Bharat Jaisi Jagah Nahi (Bat has power! no place like India)."
Akhtar didn't seem to have liked Sehwag's post and tweeted: "If a hardly literate player or a wrestler troll a pacifist daughter of a martyr it's understandable but what's wrong with some educated folks."
(With inputs from IANS)