Brisbane: Cricket commentator Isa Guha has apologised for calling Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah the "most valuable primate" during the third Test against Australia.
She made the remark while commentating for Fox Sports in Brisbane on Sunday after Bumrah got India off to a stunning start with two quick wickets, according to a BBC report.
Her comment sparked a social media backlash which noted the word's history as a racial slur.
On Monday, Guha apologised on air: "Yesterday in commentary I used a word that can be interpreted in a number of different ways... I'd like to apologise for any offence caused."
Guha, who is also a BBC commentator and former England cricketer, had been speaking live on air with colleagues Brett Lee and Allan Border when the controversy happened.
"Bumrah, today: five overs, 2-4. So, that's the tone, and that's what you want from the ex-skipper," Lee said.
Guha responded: "Well, he's the MVP, isn't he? [The] most valuable primate, Jasprit Bumrah. He is the one that's going to do all the talking for India, and why so much focus was on him in the build-up to this Test match, and whether he would be fit."
In her apology on Monday, she said: "I set myself really high standards when it comes to empathy and respect for others and 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 as well," she said.