New Delhi, April 18: India all-rounder Hardik Pandya greeted his fellow teammate KL Rahul on his birthday in an emotional post on his Instagram handle.
Rahul, who turned 27 on Thursday (April 18), was greeted by fellow teammates on social media but it was Pandya's heartfelt message for the Karnataka batsman that won over the hearts of their fans.
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Hardik posted an image with birthday boy Rahul on his Instagram handle and captioned it, "Brothers for life !!!!! No matter what !!! Love u bro @rahulkl happy birthday. Let's make it our year."
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Hardik Pandya (@hardikpandya93) on
Both Hardik and Rahul have had a tumultous start to the year 2019 when the duo were suspended by team management for their sexist remarks on TV chat show Koffee With Karan.
Wish you a very happy birthday @klrahul11! Have a great year ahead, and wish you all the best for this IPL season! pic.twitter.com/N4FbxumsUB
— cheteshwar pujara (@cheteshwar1) April 18, 2019
Shout out loud as it's our gabru sher da birthday 🕺💃🎂
— Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) April 17, 2019
Keep playing those big knocks for us and India, KL Rahul ❤️#SaddaPunjab #HappyBirthdayKL pic.twitter.com/KfmugRiqUg
Both players became subjects of nationwide criticism following their loose remarks on women. The controversial episode was aired in the first week of January, triggering outrage, which prompted the COA to call the duo back from the tour of Australia, handing them provisional suspensions.
The two tendered unconditional apologies and their ban was provisionally lifted pending inquiry. Once Jain assumed his role, the COA handed over the matter to him for the completion of inquiry. The two players have also spoken publicly on the incident, recalling one of the toughest phases of their respective careers.
Both the youngsters are doing well in the ongoing IPL season for their respective franchises Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab.