• Source:JND
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Harbhajan Singh, India's legendary spinner, has reacted to the controversy that has erupted again regarding the slapgate incident with S Sreesanth, the video of which was made public by the former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi.

Lalit Modi appeared for a chat on Michael Clarke's podcast titled 'Beyond 23' last week, and there he unveiled the unseen video, showcasing how Harbhajan Singh slapped former India pacer S Sreesanth following the conclusion of the 2008 IPL game between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings).

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It is to be noted that when the incident happened in 2008, the actual footage was not shown on air as the broadcasters cut to commercials. When the footage came back on, the visuals of Sreesanth in tears and being consoled by the rest of his teammates, such as Irfan Pathan and Mahela Jayawardene, went viral.

In the video Modi unveiled, Harbhajan strikes his former India pacer with a back-handed slap when players of both teams were shaking hands following the conclusion of the game. Sreesanth then charged towards Harbhajan, and a brawl-like situation unfolded. However, players from both teams managed to intervene, and the two were finally separated.

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Speaking to Instant Bollywood on the leaked video, Harbhajan said, "The way the video has been leaked, it's wrong. It shouldn't have happened. They might have a selfish motive behind it. Something that happened 18 years ago, people have forgotten, and they are reminding people about it."

"I feel bad for whatever happened. We were playing, and everyone had things going on in their mind. Mistakes happened, and we do feel ashamed about it," he added.

The former India spinner went on to apologise for his actions, saying he made a mistake.

"Yes, the video has gone viral. It was an unfortunate incident, and I have said on many occasions that I made a mistake. Humans make mistakes, and I did one too. I have requested Lord Ganesh to forgive me if I make a mistake again. Mistakes happen," said Harbhajan.

A few days back, Harbhajan talked about the controversial instance in a podcast with Ravichandran Ashwin. He apologised for his actions, saying that if he could go back in time, he would have never slapped Sreesanth. However, he also stated that he now shares a good equation with the former Indian pacer.

Notably, the slapgate incident put Harbhajan into trouble as the BCCI and the IPL's organising committee banned the veteran for 11 matches. He also lost his fees as he was found guilty of breaching the code of conduct.