NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa has taken aim at
Lalit Modi and
Michael Clarke for releasing a video from the 2008 IPL that showed
Harbhajan Singh slapping
S Sreesanth after a match between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings. The clip has reignited discussions around the infamous incident that resulted in Harbhajan receiving an 11-match ban, despite both players having long reconciled and maintained a cordial relationship.
The footage, recently put online by Modi and Clarke, has dragged the controversy back into the spotlight.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Over the years, Harbhajan and Sreesanth have moved on, often appearing together at commentary stints and promotional events. Harbhajan has repeatedly expressed remorse for his actions, while Sreesanth has spoken warmly about their bond in various interviews.
Uthappa, who was on the field when the incident occurred, voiced strong criticism on the Kim-Appa Show with Jarrod Kimber.
"That whole Slapgate thing that happened in the IPL. What the f*** man? How does someone get away with stuff like that?" Uthappa said.
"Now, imagine we put up a clip of something that an Australian did that was offensive, that was kept under wraps for the respect of that whole situation, to save the respect of that situation, which is an impulsive, bad decision that a human being made… Now that you have gone and interviewed someone, and you have got access to the file, do you think you have the right to publish it, put that into the world, and make those two people go through that whole emotion, that raw emotion, 20 years later?," he said.
Uthappa further questioned the lack of sensitivity behind releasing the video and highlighted what he saw as racial double standards in cricket.
"Where is your sense of sensitivity and empathy for other people?" he asked.
"We all make mistakes, but are we going to keep putting it out there to make people go through the embarrassment of the wrong choices the person has made? For me, it's guys who aren't brown skinned who get away with it a lot more. Today, we are speaking about Sunny G having an opinion on what other countries speak about Indian cricket. But what about this? Imagine the human implications of this… You can't treat people like crap just because it'll get you more views."
He suggested that similar controversies involving Australian players have often been kept under wraps to protect reputations, pointing to a bias in how such matters are treated depending on the players’ backgrounds.
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