Former Indian fast bowler S. Sreesanth recently shared that his daughter once declined to acknowledge veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh. The reaction, he revealed, was linked to the infamous 2008 IPL incident when Harbhajan, then with Mumbai Indians, slapped Sreesanth after a match against Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). Photos of Sreesanth in tears had quickly gone viral at the time, making it one of the most talked-about controversies in the league’s history.
Although both cricketers have reconciled since then and moved past their differences, Sreesanth admitted that the episode left a lasting impression on his daughter. He also clarified that Harbhajan had not acted with intent to hurt him on that particular evening.
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"When I told my daughter, 'This is Bhajji pa, he's played with me', she straight away said, 'No, no, I won't say hi'. I couldn't understand why. In school, there may have been the odd conversation about it. There are different stories doing the rounds. Then we tried explaining, but she said she still won't talk to him. The next day, when the legends tournament was going on, we explained that he was like our elder brother. I don't think Bhajji pa did that deliberately. It happened in the spur of the moment. It was just a learning experience for both of us," Sreesanth told cricket commentator Padamjeet Sehrawat on his YouTube channel.
Bhajji’s cricket career, though highly decorated, was often marked by controversies that kept him in the spotlight for reasons beyond his bowling. Known as the "Turbanator," he earned immense respect as one of India’s finest spinners, yet his aggressive on-field demeanor occasionally drew criticism. Among the many incidents that shadowed his journey, the one episode he would perhaps most like to forget is the altercation with Sreesanth, he revealed.
"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 did. 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," said Harbhajan on Kutti Stories with Ash.
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