Khawaja was interrogated by veteran ABC journalist on Tuesday night and at times appeared uncomfortable during the 12-minute interview as Ferguson attempted to extract more testimony about what Australia's bowling group knew of the infamous 2018 'sandpaper' incident in Cape Town, South Africa.
The 39-year-old refused to answer direct questions from Ferguson about the involvement of Australia's entire Test team in the cheating saga after suggesting in his newly published book that the three players suspended - David Warner, Cameron Bancroft and Steve Smith - were not the only ones who knew of or even formulated the plot.
"I'm just not going to entertain that," Khawaja said when asked if the bowlers were involved in conversations about ball tampering.
"It took a long time to write the chapter in a way that was as balanced as possible, at the same time trying to be open and honest about what I saw. It's hard for me to talk about this with you and get the right context. I learned from this week that whenever things come out in the media, they get sensationalised."
"I've given my statement about what happened in the game before in Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha). It's never been for me about pointing fingers, and I even pulled it back in my first edit.
"My main objective here is for us to take accountability as a team. It wasn't just them. We were all involved in it as a team, as a squad, and that's what I'm trying to project."
"I've tried my best to explain my version of events. I'm here to tell my truth, what I saw, what I felt, and to stick with those three guys who were made out to be the only people who have taken it."
Australia's fast bowling trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc released a joint public statement in May 2021 denying all knowledge of the ball tampering and individually stood by the statement this month, whilst David Warner described Khawaja's written revelations as "100% accurate" whilst on duty in the Nepal Premier League.
Ferguson's entire line of questioning was related to so-called 'Sandpapergate' and Khawaja's disappointment that he was not promoted to Test captain ahead of wicketkeeper Tim Paine, who successfully took on the task of rebuilding a shattered team culture and public reputation.
"I can never say for certain," Khawaja said when asked if his race and colour played a role in the non-appointment.
Several media outlets were advised on Wednesday morning by book publisher Penguin that Khawaja will not be partaking in any further television or radio interviews about the book, which was published on Tuesday.
'Sandpapergate' has been back in the headlines in the last month because of Australia's recent three-Test tour of South Africa, the first time they had returned to the rainbow nation for Test cricket since that incident, and the well-timed publication of Khawaja's memoirs.
Khawaja did not put the 'Sandpapergate' chapter out for syndication as a deliberate measure to not make it front and centre of the pre-publication media, but it was the focal point of media and public interest following his revelations that ball tampering went beyond the three aforementioned scapegoats.
It is believed that his decision to cancel all future media is a consequence of 'Sandpapergate', which is covered in a single chapter encompassing just 5% of his book, dominating the media coverage and interview questioning in the lead-up to the publication.