Bhajji nahin sudhrega
Furious at Harbhajan’s absence from the Padma function, Sudhir Nanavati regrets a lighter sentence for Bhajji in Slapgate
By Tapan Joshi and Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Sunday, April 19, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=20090419200904190308062083336e56d)
Controversy’s favourite child Harbhajan Singh is in trouble again. The judge who had heard his case in the Sreesanth Slapgate incident in the first edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) has now admitted he made a mistake in letting the off-spinner off the hook lightly.The judge, Sudhir Nanavati, told Ahmedabad Mirror that the incident was “a lot more ugly” than people think. In a video footage that Nanavati saw but never revealed before, Harbhajan was seen slapping Sreesanth more than once and had also lunged towards him.
By Tapan Joshi and Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Sunday, April 19, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=20090419200904190308062083336e56d)
Controversy’s favourite child Harbhajan Singh is in trouble again. The judge who had heard his case in the Sreesanth Slapgate incident in the first edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) has now admitted he made a mistake in letting the off-spinner off the hook lightly.The judge, Sudhir Nanavati, told Ahmedabad Mirror that the incident was “a lot more ugly” than people think. In a video footage that Nanavati saw but never revealed before, Harbhajan was seen slapping Sreesanth more than once and had also lunged towards him.
Nanavati’s conscience was pricked by the fact that Harbhajan didn’t bother to attend the rece
nt Padma awards function and on top of it, made a “mockery of the whole thing” in a TV interview.Said Nanavati, “I was very disappointed when I saw on TV Harbhajan making fun of the whole event. I have seen personalities like Raj Kapoor making it to Padma awards function from their hospital bed. It’s a huge honour for any Indian. And here is a young cricketer who doesn’t seem to realise its importance.”
nt Padma awards function and on top of it, made a “mockery of the whole thing” in a TV interview.Said Nanavati, “I was very disappointed when I saw on TV Harbhajan making fun of the whole event. I have seen personalities like Raj Kapoor making it to Padma awards function from their hospital bed. It’s a huge honour for any Indian. And here is a young cricketer who doesn’t seem to realise its importance.”Nanavati said had he given Harbhajan a harsher punishment in Slapgate, the off-spinner would have probably shown more maturity in recent times. In a week’s time, on April 25, it will be exactly one year since Harbhajan Singh slapped Sreesanth on the field at Punjab Cricket Association stadium in Mohali.
Talking about the video footage of the incident, Nanavati said, “After the match, both the teams (Harbhajan’s Mumbai Indians and Sreesanth’s Kings XI Punjab) were shaking hands. The video clearly showed Harbhajan slapping Sreesanth with the back of his hand. The video also indicated that Harbhajan lunged forward to grab Sreesanth and was held back by other players. I can say that he gave Sreesanth more than one slap. The footage of the incident that I saw was very, very ugly.”
Talking about the video footage of the incident, Nanavati said, “After the match, both the teams (Harbhajan’s Mumbai Indians and Sreesanth’s Kings XI Punjab) were shaking hands. The video clearly showed Harbhajan slapping Sreesanth with the back of his hand. The video also indicated that Harbhajan lunged forward to grab Sreesanth and was held back by other players. I can say that he gave Sreesanth more than one slap. The footage of the incident that I saw was very, very ugly.”
The senior lawyer said a year ago, as the incident’s adjudicator, his sole intention was to ensure both Harbhajan and Sreesanth get back to cricket as soon as possible.Nanavati, a member of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) finance committee and Gujarat Cricket Association’s secretary, said, “In hindsight, I feel I had erred in letting Harbhajan off lightly after he had slapped Sreesanth. He has learnt nothing from his mistakes.”
Harbhajan was banned by the BCCI for five ODIs following Nanavati’s recommendations.He said, “In Australia, when Harbhajan was involved in a racial slur controversy against Andrew Symonds, it was Sachin Tendulkar who had come to his rescue. The judge took Tendulkar’s statement on the face value and let Harbhajan off.”Nanavati said that Harbhajan was not consistent in his behaviour.
“When he is in trouble, he is very, very docile. In my cabin after the slapping incident, he came across as a meek, humble person. But the moment he is on top, his behaviour changes. These days, he is appearing so full of himself.”
"Bhajji slapped Sreesanth more than once. The footage of the incident that I saw was very, very ugly.”– Sudhir Nanavati
