Sreesanth's wife lashes out at Lalit Modi, Michael Clarke after 'Slapgate' video surfaces
17 years is long enough span for people to bury a torrid incident in the deepest trenches of their memory. What happens, however, when someone forces them to come face-to-face with that incident? Neither Sreesanth nor Harbhajan Singh would have anticipated that the 'slapgate' incident would return to haunt them after almost two decades. Harbhajan slapped Sreesanth during a match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab in the inaugural IPL season. While the event is a well-known IPL legend, the actual video of Harbhajan smacking Sreesanth has surfaced only now.
"Shame on you": Sreesanth's wife rips into Lalit Modi and Michael Clarke for releasing the 'slapgate' clip
Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi recently joined Michael Clarke on the Beyond23 podcast. The conversation drifted to the infamous IPL slapgate. The inaugural IPL season witnessed a sensational scene after Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) claimed a win against Mumbai Indians. Harbhajan Singh, leading the losing side, was allegedly irked by Sreesanth as the KXIP player celebrated the victory exuberantly. Sreesanth had reportedly offered a "hard luck" to Harbhajan, enraging the MI skipper.
Harbhajan, blinded by rage, slapped Sreesanth during the customary handshakes between the teams. IPL 2008 was rocked by the incident. The visuals, however, never showed the actual slap. The broadcast had switched to advertisements when Harbhajan landed the blow. When it returned, the only scenes available for the audience to watch were of Sreesanth crying inconsolably. For 17 years since then, the clip never managed to come into the public view.
However, that changed on Friday as Modi revealed the slapgate video on Clarke's podcast. The footage showed Harbhajan delivering a backhanded slap at Sreesanth, leading to an altercation with Mahela Jayawardene separating the players. Harsha Bhogle, reacting to the video release, noted that the clip was deliberately kept hidden to avoid bringing a bad name to the T20 league in its debut season. The IPL, having completed 18 seasons, has emerged as the biggest T20 league in the world. But does that justify Modi or Clarke dragging Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh through it all again?
Harbhajan Singh recently appeared on the podcast of Ravichandran Ashwin. The former spinner talked about erasing the slapgate incident from his life if he ever got a chance. The ex-MI prospect regrets his action to this date. Sreesanth and Harbhajan have since moved on from the controversy, even appearing together on several occasions. After all the progress, however, the recently released clip has reopened old wounds.
A day after the slapgate video was released on the internet, Sreesanth's wife, Bhuvneshwari, lashed out against Lalit Modi and Michael Clarke. Bhuvneshwari condemned Modi and Clarke's act as “disgusting, heartless and inhuman,” stressing that both Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth had moved past the incident years ago. According to her, the two were merely trying to exploit an old controversy for cheap publicity.
“Shame on you @lalitkmodi and @michaelclarkeofficial. You people are not even human to drag up something from 2008 just for your own cheap publicity and views. Both @sreesanthnair36 and Harbhajan have long moved on, they are fathers now with school-going children, and yet you try to throw them back into an old wound. Absolutely disgusting, heartless, and inhuman," Bhuvneshwari wrote in one of her stories.
Sreesanth himself later reposted her statements on Instagram. Bhuvneshwari expressed her anguish, highlighting how her husband had worked tirelessly to regain dignity and respect after facing several hardships. Reviving the 2008 incident, she said, had reopened painful memories for their family. She further appealed to Modi and Clarke to have the fear of God, accusing them of needlessly inflicting suffering on families and children just to serve their own interests. Furthermore, she stated that Modi and Clarke should be 'sued' for their deed.
“@sreesanthnair36 has rebuilt his life with dignity and grace after every hardship he faced. As his wife, and as the mother of his children, it is deeply painful for our family to see this resurface after 18 long years. Families are being forced to relive trauma that was buried decades ago only so you can chase views. This doesn’t just hurt the players, it scars their innocent children who now have to face questions and shame for no fault of theirs," she added.
“You should be sued for doing something so cheap and inhumane. Sreesanth is a man of strength and character, and no video can take that dignity away from him. Fear God before you hurt families and innocent children for your own gain,” she further lashed out.
