Former England women’s cricketer Isa Guha has issued an apology to India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah for using racial words against him recently. Guha had called Bumrah “Most Valuable Primate” in a conversation during the third Test between Australia and India at Gabba.
Her remarks soon went viral and she was slammed for using a bad choice of words. Her comments reignited the conversations around biasedness and cultural differentiation in sports.’
Also read: “Show us a better Love Story than Virat Kohli and 4th Stump Balls”- Twitter reacts to Gabba failure
Isa Guha issues an apology to Jasprit Bumrah
After her controversial remarks, Isa Guha has now issued an apology to Jasprit Bumrah saying that she did not intend to demean him and his culture in any way. She wanted to praise Bumrah but instead chose the wrong set of words to do that.
“Yesterday in commentary I used a word that can be interpreted in a number of different ways. I’d like to apologize for any offense caused. I set myself really high standards when it comes to empathy and respect of others,” Guha said on Fox Sports.
“If you listen to the full transcript I only meant the highest praise for one of India’s greatest players. And someone that I admire greatly. I’m an advocate for equality and someone who has spent their career thinking about inclusion and understanding in the game,” she added.
Further elaborating on his apology, Guha mentioned that she herself has an Asian heritage and understands the culture as well. She hopes for the focus to be on the Test match rather than such controversial remarks.
“I was trying to frame the enormity of his achievement and I’ve chosen the wrong word. And for that, I am deeply sorry. As someone who is also of South Asian heritage, I hope people would recognize there was no other intention or malice there, and I hope this hasn’t overshadowed what has been a great Test match so far – and I look forward to seeing how it progresses,” she added.
A very genuine apology from Isa Guha. pic.twitter.com/W97FCCEP93
— Dan News (@dannews) December 15, 2024
What did Isa Guha say?
During the second day of the Gabba Test between Australia and India, Isa Guha replied to Brett Lee’s assessment of Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling in the third Test. While Guha was full of praises for Bumrah, she referred to him by calling him “MVP — Most Valuable Primate”.
The words were not received well by various people who asked Guha to apologize for her set of words. The former England cricketer is working as a commentator in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Jasprit Bumrah shines for India again
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah has been the lone shining light for India in the Brisbane Test so far. Being India’s bowling spearhead, he has led the attack from the front with some thrilling performances with the ball.
Bumrah finished with 6-76 in 28 overs in Australia’s first innings and picked up five of Australia’s top six wickets, which includes the big wickets of centurions Steve Smith and Travis Head. He is also the highest wicket-taker of the series so far with 18 wickets in 5 Test innings at an exceptional average of 11.72.