- By Sunny Daud
- Sat, 20 Jun 2026 03:54 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Former India cricketer S Sreesanth has made strong and emotional comments about his former teammates Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh. He spoke openly about several past incidents involving players like Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh.
Sreesanth and Harbhajan share a long and complicated history. During IPL 2008, Harbhajan, then featuring for Mumbai Indians, slapped Sreesanth, who was representing Kings XI Punjab at the time. The incident, widely known as “Slapgate,” had long been considered a thing of the past, with many believing both players had moved on.
However, Sreesanth recently expressed his anger over an advertisement that appeared to reference that same incident. He felt it brought back old memories in an unnecessary way.
During his conversation on Lallantop, Sreesanth was shown an old picture of him and Harbhajan wearing boxing gloves. He reacted strongly and issued a direct challenge to Harbhajan while speaking on camera.
"This same scene, do you have the guts? Do you have the guts to come into the ring with me? Can you sign and come? Can you? I am asking him. Do you have the guts to come into the ring with me? Wearing these same gloves... This is not acting, I am smiling. You are not even smiling, I don't know what you are doing. Let's see. This is an open challenge," Sreesanth said.
The interview aired on Thursday. The next day, Harbhajan Singh posted a cryptic video on Instagram with the caption, "Khali bartaan hi to awaaz karte hain (empty vessels make the most noise)."
In the video, Harbhajan said, "Kisine bohot khub kaha hai ki karne do jo log bakwaas karte hain, hamesha khali bartaan hi to awaaz karte hain." The phrase means: “Let people talk nonsense, empty vessels always make noise.”
Although Harbhajan did not name anyone directly, many on social media felt it was a response to Sreesanth’s comments.
In the same interview, Sreesanth continued his remarks and again challenged Harbhajan to face him in a boxing match.
"I challenge you, Bhajji. If you have this much of a problem with the slap incident and me, and you earn this much... let me earn too. Come into the ring. I am calling you from my heart. If we have some self-respect, let's not do ads and all that. In a genuine way, for all the Malayalis and all the Sardars, please come. I am waiting," he said.