In a recent interview with tennis player Sania Mirza, notable Indian filmmaker and Bollywood personality Karan Johar revealed that he will never invite ace Indian batsman Virat Kohli on his popular chat show Koffee With Karan. The last time cricketers performed on the show was in 2019, when Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul participated in the season opener.
Karan Johar recently interacted with Sania, an outstanding tennis pro from India.
After various topics were explored, a rapid-fire round ensued in which Sania asked Karan which celebrity had declined. Karan got the name of the lovely actor Ranbir Kapoor. He explained that Ranbir had previously appeared on the show. However, he has declined to return for the past three seasons.
When Sania pressed for Virat Kohli’s name, Karan halted and answered that he had never approached the former Indian captain following what happened with Hardik and Rahul.
“I have never asked Virat. And now, I’m not asking any cricketers after what happened with Hardik and Rahul,” stated Karan, as quoted by The Times of India.
For the unversed, the infamous episode from 2019 made headlines after Hardik received severe backlash after his comments at various instances of the episode were labelled as sexist and grossly inappropriate by the media and the public in general. Public apologies were issued, and the players were handed temporary suspensions by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
During the height of the controversy, even Kohli, who was the captain of the team during that time, distanced himself from the views which were expressed on the show. He disowned the opinions made by the cricketers and clearly mentioned that the Indian team did not agree with such remarks and opinions. Ever since that controversy, cricketers have not been approached by the Bollywood producer.
While Rahul played the recent three-match ODI series against Australia, Hardik missed out on the white-ball tour after sustaining an injury to his left quadriceps during an Asia Cup 2025 clash in the UAE. India will next play an all-format series against South Africa at home. The assignment will comprise two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is.
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