After being criticised on social media for his sexist remarks while on air during the second ODI between England and Sri Lanka on Thursday, India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik came up with an apology for it on-air on Sunday.

The 36-year-old became an instant hit for his on-air commentary during the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and New Zealand last month. But he received flak on Twitter for drawing comparisons between cricket bats and “neighbour’s wife” soon after during Sri Lanka’s white-ball tour of England.

“Batsmen and not liking bats, they go hand in hand. Most of the batters don’t seem to like their bats. They either like another person’s bat. Bats are like a neighbour’s wife. They always feel better,” the former KKR captain had said.

Three days after the incident, Karthik used the same platform to apologise for his remarks when he returned to the Sky Sports commentary box for the third ODI.

“I want to apologise for what happened last game. It’s not really what I intended. I just got it all wrong. I apologise to everybody. It’s definitely not the right thing to say. I got a lot of stick from my wife and my mum for saying that,” he said.

“I am really sorry that it shouldn’t happen again,” he further added.

Alongside Sunil Gavaskar, Karthik was the only other Indian in the English commentary team of the hosts broadcasters for the recently-concluded WTC final. Speaking to India Today, he had said it was a privilege to work with Gavaskar.

The right-handed batsman has represented India in 26 Tests, 94 ODIs and 32 T20Is.