Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh is back in the news once again over new controversy. All this, a few weeks after fresh videos of the infamous “slapgate” incident involving Sreesanth surfaced. The 2008 scandal from the Indian Premier League is back in the news. Lalit Modi and Michael Clarke resurrected it, starring when they shared the footage on Clarke’s podcast. The reliving of the incident has understandably sparked anger from all sides, especially from the family of Sreesanth.
In a recent interview with cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, Singh spoke about his deep regret for slapping Sreesanth all those years ago. That arbitrary decision caused him to be handed down an eight-game suspension for his attempt. Singh has publicly apologized for this incident on numerous occasions over the years. He stated, “I apologised 200 times. What I felt so bad was even years after that incident, I have been apologising every opportunity or stage I get. It was a mistake.”
Until this announcement, the video evidence of the incident remained shrouded in secrecy. This led ex IPL chair Lalit Modi to deny it as a rumour and assure that it “absolutely took place.” Harbhajan Singh’s wife has voiced her distress at the resurfacing of the incident, saying it is painful for their family after 18 years. And she described the emotional cost to families made to relive this kind of trauma all over again.
TV journo Bhuvneshwari Sreesanth denounced this decision to broadcast the ‘flesh trade’ footage. She criticized Modi and Clarke equally for their behavior. She remarked, “Shame on you Lalit Modi and Michael Clarke. You people are not even human to drag up something from 2008 just for your own cheap publicity and views.” Her comment underscores the damaging effect public figures do when they unnecessarily return to sensitive topics to increase their ratings or viewership.
Both Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth have long since left the event in question behind, with each now leading company in their respective families, with children of school-going age. Singh still believes the slap is a stain on his career that he wants out of. That one thing I’d like to change in my life is that episode with Sreesanth. I regret that that incident happened in my career,” he said during the interview.
