'When I think about it, there was no need. If I had to correct one mistake...': Harbhajan recalls Sreesanth slapgate row
The scuffle led to Harbhajan being banned from the remainder of the competition and Shaun Pollock taking over the captaincy of Mumbai Indians.
Former India tweaker Harbhajan Singh was embroiled in a major controversy during the inaugural IPL edition. Pacer S Sreesanth, playing for Kings XI Punjab, was spotted crying on the field with his teammates trying to console him, and it was found out that Harbhajan had allegedly slapped the pacer after the game. (Also Read | ‘I intentionally wanted to hit Sachin Tendulkar and wound him’: Shoaib Akhtar’s shocking revelation)
The scuffle even led to Harbhajan being banned from the remainder of the competition and Shaun Pollock taking over the captaincy of Mumbai Indians. But with the passage of time, the equation got better between the two cricketers, who played together during India's title-winning runs in the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup.
Harbhajan has recalled the infamous 'slap gate' controversy to admit that he made a mistake, further adding that the incident left him 'embarrassed'.
"What happened was wrong. I made a mistake. Because of me, my teammate had to face embarrassment. I was embarrassed," Harbhajan said at Glance LIVE Fest.
“If I had to correct one mistake, it was how I treated Sreesanth on the field. It should not have happened. When I think about it, I feel there was no need.”
Earlier, Sreesanth had downplayed any row between the two, saying Sachin Tendulkar organised a dinner with Harbhajan and they sorted out the issues soon. He also begged the BCCI to not take action against Harbhajan for the incident.
“It was all sorted and thanks to Sachin paaji (Sachin Tendulkar), you guys play in the same team, I said absolutely fine, I’ll go and meet him. We met and had dinner on the same night but the media took it to the next level,” the Kerala paceman had told CricketAddictor.
"I’m absolutely fine with Bhajji paa. He’s changed a lot. I’ve in public also he has said ‘Sree tu kahi bhi ho yaar, maaf karde’ (Sree, wherever you are, please forgive me). He was always my elder brother, maybe at that point of time it was different but he will always be a legend."
Harbhajan was slapped with an 11-game ban for the incident and it remains one of the most controversial episodes to have happened in the lucrative T20 league.
