MUMBAI: Renowned poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar, who earlier criticised former cricketer Virender Sehwag for his comments on Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur, has called him a "great player" and said he was retracting his harsh comments.

Gurmehar is in the eye of a storm over her stance against student outfit Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

"Since Sehwag undoubtedly a great player has clarified he was just being facetious and is not anti-Gurmehar, I take back my rather harsh words," Akhtar posted on Twitter on Thursday night.

Akhtar earlier called Sehwag "a hardly literate player" indirectly after the cricketer trolled Gurmehar.

Kaur, a student of Delhi's Lady Shri Ram College, had posted on Facebook a photograph of herself holding a placard that read: "I am a student from Delhi University. I am not afraid of ABVP. I am not alone. Every student of India is with me," following last week's violence in Ramjas College in Delhi University.

The post went viral online. She also held a poster, saying 'Pakistan did not kill my dad, war killed him'.

Following this, Sehwag on February 26 posted his image holding a placard which read: "I did not score two triple centuries, my bat did," and said: "Bat me hai Dum! Bharat Jaisi Jagah Nahi (Bat has power! no place like India)."

Akhtar didn't seem to have liked Sehwag's post and tweeted: "If a hardly literate player or a wrestler troll a pacifist daughter of a martyr it's understandable but what's wrong with some educated folks."

(Source: IANS)