Pandya and Rahul available for international selection again after suspensions lifted

The pair were suspended after comments they made during an appearance on popular India talk show Koffee with Karan at the start of January, but are now available for selection...

Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul will be available for selection again after the BCCI lifted the suspensions imposed upon them for controversial comments they made on television.

The pair made ill-advised remarks about women during an appearance on popular India talk show Koffee with Karan at the start of January.

The suspensions meant they were sent home during India's recent tour of Australia, which saw the Indians win both the Test and ODI series.

^{Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul during their appearance on Koffee with Karan}

Their bans were lifted on Thursday with immediate effect prior to the appointment of an ombudsman by the Supreme Court, who will then make an adjudication.

It had been expected that they would also miss India's current tour of New Zealand, but the door is now open for them to rejoin the squad.

The comments left captain Virat Kohli unimpressed, but the pair did receive support from an unlikely source in former Australian umpire Simon Taufel.