Sreesanth Thanks Former Rival Harbhajan Singh For 'Unwavering Support'

image-lfffcux6Harbhajan had slapped Sreesanth during 2008 IPL (Twitter)

The inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008 saw a bizarre controversy unfold between India teammates S Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh, which left many people flabbergasted.

The pair, who had been part of the Indian team that had won the T20 World Cup the previous year and would play a crucial role in the team's 2011 World Cup win, found themselves playing for different teams in the IPL. However, their encounter on the field left the cricket world stunned.

Sreesanth was spotted sobbing uncontrollably on the field after a match between his side Kings XI Punjab and Harbhajan's Mumbai Indians. The altercation between the two players led to Harbhajan's ban from the remaining games of the tournament and Shaun Pollock taking over the captaincy of Mumbai Indians.

Harbhajan has since expressed remorse over his actions and confessed that he had caused embarrassment to his team and Sreesanth. The spinner conceded that he was ashamed of his behavior and wished to rectify his mistake.

In a recent interview, Sreesanth spoke about his friendship with Harbhajan and the incident that had caused a rift between them. The pace bowler dismissed the media frenzy surrounding the altercation as a mere misunderstanding and asserted that he and Harbhajan had always been friends.

Sreesanth also revealed that Harbhajan had been a constant source of support for him throughout his career, even offering him tips on commentary in recent times. The pace bowler expressed his gratitude to his former teammate and likened their relationship to the popular song "Tere jaisa yaar kaha."

“We have always been friends. That was just a misunderstanding and the media made a big noise out of it. I will just say that Bhajji pa has supported me from the beginning in every way, including recently with commentary tips. He has supported me and helped me a lot and I am very thankful to him. There is that song, 'Tere jaisa yaar kaha', that is my relationship with him,” said Sreesanth on Sports Yaari.