Controversial Australian commentator Kerry O'Keeffe has reportedly been blacked out by the Indian broadcaster of the ongoing India-Australia series for the fourth Test that started in Sydney on Thursday. According to media reports, the broadcaster has decided to not air the 69-year-old's commentary on its channels after receiving several complaints from Indian viewers. "We cannot have someone making snide remarks on Indian players", an unnamed source was quoted as saying by The Mumbai Mirror. They also clearly stated that the BCCI has nothing to do with the matter. O'Keeffe had made several controversial remarks regarding Indian batsmen during the first three Tests of the series.
He said that India opener Mayank Agarwal's triple-century in the Ranji Trophy had come against Railways "canteen staff" which comprised of "chefs and waiters."
Agarwal, who averages 50.22 in first-class cricket, scored 76 and 42 in Melbourne as India comfortably won by 137 runs to move a step closer of a historic series win on Australian soil.
O'Keefe then commented “why would you name your child Cheteshwar Jadeja" and faced a major backlash on social media for his comments.
The Australian deleted his Twitter account and admitted he was hurt by the reaction in India.
O'Keeffe, who is a commentator for the host broadcasters, had issued an open letter to apologise for his comments.
"When I made a remark about Indian first-class batting averages within their domestic cricket competition being made against a “canteen” bowling attack, I was being entirely tongue in cheek. I was certainly not disrespecting Indian cricket, where I toured as a schoolboy and for which I have the greatest admiration as a cricketing nation," he wrote in his open letter for foxsports.com.au.
"There was no intention to ridicule those two wonderful players (Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja) and I am horrified by any suggestion to the contrary. I had spent months researching and analysing these two players and when the moment arrived, I stuffed it up. The joke was on me," O'Keeffe added.