Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has expressed strong displeasure over the recent resurfacing of the infamous ‘slapgate’ video during an episode of Michael Clarke’s Beyond23 Cricket podcast, which featured former IPL chairman Lalit Modi. The video showed Harbhajan slapping fellow cricketer Sreesanth during the 2008 Indian Premier League, an incident that has long been considered a closed chapter.
Harbhajan questioned the need to bring the video back into public view after nearly two decades. He suggested that the decision to release the footage might have been made under questionable circumstances, jokingly speculating that those responsible might have been “under the influence of alcohol” or simply “messing around.”
“Honestly, I didn’t understand why there was a need to make it public. I really don’t understand the motive behind that. I feel it would have been better if it hadn’t come out because there was no need for it. I don’t know what he was thinking when he released the video, maybe he was under the influence of alcohol or just messing around. If I were in their place, I wouldn’t have let any such video come out like that,” Harbhajan said while speaking to IANS.
Reflecting on the incident itself, Harbhajan acknowledged his mistake and reiterated his previous apology.
“What happened was wrong, and I have already apologised for it. What happened between me and Sreesanth at that time was not right. As a sportsman, I don’t think I should have done that. People learn from their mistakes, and if I had enough understanding back then, I wouldn’t have done it,” he added.
Sreesanth’s wife also called out Clarke and Modi
Sreesanth’s wife, Bhuvneshwari Sreesanth, also condemned the release of the video. On her official Instagram stories, she called the act “fearless and inhuman,” accusing Lalit Modi and Michael Clarke of stirring up old wounds “just for your own publicity and views.” She emphasised that both Harbhajan and Sreesanth have moved on, are now fathers, and should not be dragged back into past controversies.