Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has said if there is one incident he wants to remove from his career, then it would be the spat with former teammate S Sreesanth. Saying he was completely at fault for what transpired in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League, Harbhajan also spoke about the conversation he had with Sreesanth’s daughter which shattered him.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO
During the 2008 edition of the IPL, Harbhajan, playing for Mumbai Indians slapped Kings XI Punjab’s Sreesanth at the end of a league fixture. While the BCCI responded by suspending Harbhajan for the remaining fixtures, it still remains one of the much-talked about incidents in the IPL.
And speaking with R Ashwin’s YouTube channel in the show ‘Kutti Stories’, Harbhajan was asked if he would remove any incident from his life. And the off-spinner who was part of the 2011 World Cup team, which also included Sreesanth said, “One thing I’d want to change in my life is that incident with Sreesanth. I want to remove that incident from my career. That is the incident I would change from my list. What transpired was wrong and I shouldn’t have done what I d id. 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. 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. So yeah, that was my fault and the only fault of his was that he provoked me, but that’s okay actually. However, what I did was not okay. I said, ‘Sorry’,” an emotional Harbhajan said.
The 45-year-old who is an MP now said how the incident had affected him, particularly after a conversation with Sreesanth’s daughter. “What hurt me even after many years was when I met his daughter and I was talking to her with a lot of love and 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. I was asking myself 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 apologise to his daughter that I can’t do anything. I keep telling her, ‘but if there’s anything I can do to make you feel better and make you think I’m not that kind of person, please tell me’. I wish when she grows up, she doesn’t see me in the same light. And think her uncle will always be with her and extend any kind of support he can. That’s why I want to remove that chapter,” Harbhajan added.
