'I regret a little bit': Harry Brook on his controversial comments on Indian fans during IPL 2023

England batter Harry Brook has said that he regrets making a controversial remark on Indian fans during the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this year.

Brook represented Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2023 after being acquired for Rs 13.25 crore at the auction last year, but managed just 190 runs 11 matches. This included his first-ever IPL century which came against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens. However, barring that knock, Brook hardly had anything substantial with the bat.

After his century against KKR, Brook had criticised Indian fans, saying: “I was putting pressure on myself a little bit. You go on social media and people are calling you rubbish. There’s a lot of Indian fans out there who’ll say well done tonight. But they were slagging me off a few days ago. Glad I could shut them up to be honest.”

And now, Brook has opened up on that remark, saying that he regrets making the comment. “I was an idiot and I said that stupid thing in an interview which I regret a little bit,” the 24-year-old told the BBC.

“In India, you end up sitting in your hotel room, not much to do so I find myself just scrolling Instagram or Twitter or whatever and come across stuff you just don’t want to see. I thought it was the right idea to get off it. I’ve obviously still got Instagram and Twitter but thankfully I’ve got someone running it for me,” added the right-handed batter.

Brook said that he needed a small break after the World Cup, where he scored 169 runs from six matches as England crashed out of the group stage.

“I probably felt like I needed a little bit of a break after the World Cup, to be honest,” said Brook.

“It wears you out. Obviously we didn’t have a great competition as well, which didn’t help.

“To have a little two-week break at home was refreshing. But I’m happy to be out here, to be honest. I feel like I’ve got some things I need to work on, especially in one-day cricket,” added Brook, who is currently with the England squad taking on West Indies in the Caribbean.

Brook was released by SRH ahead of the IPL retention and release deadline, following his disappointing display with the bat earlier this year. Brook, though, has put his name for the IPL 2024 player auction that will take place in Dubai on 19 December.