Dinesh Karthik has apologised for an on-air remark he made during Thursday’s ODI between England and Sri Lanka at The Oval.

Karthik, whose elevation to the commentary box this year has generally been met with adulation, commented on batsmen’s affinity for using their teammates’ equipment saying: “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 or… bats are like a neighbour’s wife, they always feel better.”

Karthik’s comment wasn’t addressed at the time though it did attract criticism from some viewers on social media. During the third and final ODI of the England-Sri Lanka series, Karthik ended his first commentary stint of the match with an apology.

“I want to apologise for what happened last game,” said Karthik. “It’s definitely not what I intended. I got it all wrong, I want to apologise to everybody who heard that. I got a lot of stick from my mum and my wife, actually, for saying that. I’m really sorry for that, it shouldn’t happen again.”