“She said, ‘I don’t want to talk to you; you hit my father'” - Harbhajan Singh reveals one incident he wants to erase from his life

Legendary spinner Harbhajan Singh recently spoke at length about his episode with S Sreesanth during the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) 2008 season. The cricketer-turned-commentator said that he shouldn’t have slapped the speedster following a match between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians.

For the unversed, Sreesanth was in tears and consoled by his teammates following the incident. As per reports, some on-field remarks provoked Harbhajan. The off-spinner was found guilty of misconduct and suspended for the rest of the season, and later handed an 11-match ban.

Speaking to Ashwin’s YouTube channel, Kutti Stories, Harbhajan shared how the incident had a lasting impact on Sreesanth’s daughter, which always reminds him of his mistakes. He said:

“104 – One thing I’d want to change in my life is that incident with Sreesanth. So, yeah, I want to remove that incident from my career, my wishlist. What transpired was wrong, and I shouldn’t have done what I did. I apologised some 200 times. What I felt so bad was… even years after that incident, I have been apologizing every opportunity or stage I get.

“We all make mistakes, and we hope and try to never repeat such mistakes. He was my teammate, and we were playing together. Yes, in that game, we were opponents. But it shouldn’t have gone to that level where we behave in such a manner.”

He continued:

“105: - But what really hurt me, even after many years, is when I met his daughter. And I was talking to her with a lot of love. She said, “I don’t want to talk to you. You hit my father.” My heart was shattered, and I was on the verge of tears. What is the impression I’ve left on her? She must be thinking of me in a poor light, right?”

“She sees me as the guy who hit her father. I felt so bad. I still apologize to his daughter that I can’t do anything. But if there’s anything I can do to make you feel better and make you think I am not that kind of person, please tell me. I wish that when she grows up, she doesn’t see me in the same light. Her uncle will always be with her and extend any kind of support he can. I want to remove that chapter,” he added.

“I was shocked” – When S Sreesanth shared his take on the slapgate incident involving Harbhajan Singh

In a 2024 interview, S Sreesanth shared that the slapgate incident was completely taken out of proportion, adding that he enjoyed a great camaraderie with Harbhajan Singh. Speaking on the Ranveer Show, he said (via NDTV):

“If you look at it, it was a 30-second video or something, but media showed it as if… Yeah, yeah. Unbelievable. So I will say Bhajji pa. Even now, I address him as 'Bhajji pa', and he is somebody who is always... Whenever I had any important spell or something I was not doing well, I used to go and hug Bhajji pa. And somehow it is the vibration or maybe the positivity which paaji has got, I always used to get the performance out.”

“So, when that incident happened, I was shocked. I didn't cry because of pain but because of heart. I could not take the fact that he would do it, and I was not worried about who was watching. So maybe the kid in me, as a younger brother, if an elder brother was shouting, and he had all the right because before the game, he had actually told me that don't go overboard with your aggression against us,” he added.

Despite the incident, Harbhajan Singh went on to play 163 IPL matches, claiming 150 wickets.