S Sreesanth‘s wife strongly criticised Lalit Modi and Michael Clarke for circulating a video of Harbhajan Singh slapping the pacer during the IPL 2008. Lalit, the architect of the Indian Premier League, discussed several past events in a podcast with Clarke, during which he released the unseen clip from the clash between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). The slap-gate incident remained one of the most talked-about and controversial events from the IPL, and Harbhajan was handed an 11-match suspension.
Modi described the incident to Clarke, revealing how his security camera captured the unseen moment after broadcasters had shut theirs. He described how Harbhajan called Sreesanth over during post-match handshakes and struck him with a backhander.
“I’ll tell you what happened. I will give you the video. I have kept it back. Bhajji is a very dear friend of mine. I love him. It happened on the field, and I was there. It was Bhajji, and it was Sreesanth. The game was over, and the cameras were shut off. Only one of my security cameras was on. As the team finished playing, the players were high-fiv5’ing’ and shaking hands with each other. When it came to Sreesanth and Bhajji. Harbhajan just said to him, ‘Come here’, and gave him a backhander,” Modi told Clarke on Beyond23 podcast.
The clip showed Harbhajan hitting Sreesanth with a back-handed slap while the players of both teams were exchanging handshakes after the match. The two cricketers had long buried the hatchet and have been spotted together on several occasions, with Harbhajan publicly apologising for the incident multiple times. They have done commentary stints together after retirement and have also been featured in advertisements.
Sreesanth’s wife, Bhuvneshwari, hit out at Modi and Clarke for making the 2008 IPL slap-gate video public, slamming the move as “disgusting, heartless and inhuman.” She said both Harbhajan and Sreesanth had long moved on in life and accused the duo of raking up an old wound 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.
‘Families are being forced to relive trauma’
Sreesanth also re-shared the stories on his Instagram account. Bhuvneshwari voiced her disappointment, pointing out that Sreesanth has worked hard to rebuild his life with respect after many challenges, and reviving the 2008 episode after so many years has only brought renewed pain to their family.
“@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,” he added.
The former cricketer’s wife went on to urge Modi and Clarke to fear God, accusing them of causing pain to families and innocent children for their own benefit.
“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 added.
