After the Asia Cup 2025 schedule has been confirmed, former Indian pacer S Sreesanth shared his views on the India vs Pakistan match in the upcoming T20 Asia Cup. 

When we talk about Sreesanth, we will always remember his successful catch in the ICC World T20 2007 Final against Pakistan, after which the entire country celebrated. He was also a member of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 trophy-winning team.  

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Pakistan shouldn't be allowed: S Sreesanth

In the Asia Cup 2025, India and Pakistan can face each other three times. In the present political situation, while every India-Pakistan relationship has been cancelled, fans are questioning the India-Pakistan clashes in the international cricket tournament. Sreesanth has also raised a similar voice, as he feels that Pakistan shouldn't be allowed in the Asia Cup.

According to the Republic World official website, Sreesanth told the website, "I love the game, but you should put your country first. The way Indians are, we have nothing to prove. India are superb. In my personal view, Pakistan shouldn't be allowed; we should stay away from playing against them. Deshbhakti (Patriotism) comes first. There are rising tensions between the two nations, and Pakistan should take it easy."

During a recent podcast episode with Ravichandran Ashwin, the former Indian off-spin all-rounder, Harbhajan Singh, recalled the incident when he slapped S Sreesanth during a fixture in the Indian Premier League. The Punjab-born was honest and straightforward in the conversation on a variety of topics, but got a little emotional, looking back at the controversial altercation with the former pacer in 2008.

During the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Harbhajan, who was representing the Mumbai Indians (MI), slapped Sreesanth, who was featuring for the Kings XI Punjab at the end of the league clash. In reaction, the BCCI suspended the veteran spinner for the remainder of the tournament. Singh revealed that it would be an incident he would look to forget in the future.

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‘One thing I’d want to change in my life is that incident with Sreesanth. I want to remove that incident from my career. That is the incident I would change from my list. What transpired was wrong, and I shouldn’t have done what I did. I apologised 200 times.’ Harbhajan Singh expressed during his podcast with the Tamil Nadu spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin.

Harbhajan Singh recalls his slap incident during IPL 2008 with S Sreesanth

‘What I felt so bad was even years after that incident, I have been apologizing every opportunity or stage I get. It was a mistake. We all make mistakes, and we hope and try to never repeat such mistakes. He was my teammate and we were playing together.’ Harbhajan shared the incident before remembering his meeting with Sreesanth’s daughter, who refused to talk to him.

‘What hurt me even after many years was when I met his daughter, and I was talking to her with a lot of love, and she said, ‘I don’t want to talk to you. You hit my father.’ My heart was shattered, and I was on the verge of tears. I was asking myself what impression I’ve left on her? She must be thinking of me in a poor light, right?’ He revealed.

‘I wish when she grows up, she doesn’t see me in the same light. And think her uncle will always be with her and extend any kind of support he can. That’s why I want to remove that chapter.’ The veteran spinner added.

Cricket is frequently regarded as a religion in India and is far more popular than any other sport, with fans eager to see their favourite players perform well. In the past, fans saw several players involved in issues that shook the cricket community and became global discussion points.

Cricket history has witnessed several incidents involving foreign and domestic players, shaking the sport and becoming a hot topic among millions of cricket fans. Indian cricketers have also been involved in various similar confrontations and scandals. On that point, let us look at the top five controversies in Indian cricket history.

The 2000 Match-fixing story

The match-fixing incident of 2000 shocked the whole cricketing community. The incident occurred during the South African team’s 2000 tour to India when Delhi police overheard a conversation between a bookmaker and Proteas captain Hansie Cronje while listening to criminal discussions. The theme of the talk was match-fixing.

Much to the amazement of the cricketing community, Delhi Police filed a case against Cronje, who later denied the claims. Later, the South African cricket authority established the King’s Commission to investigate, and prominent figures such as the then-Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin, Manoj Prabhakar, and famed all-rounder Ajay Jadeja were added to the match-fixing list. According to a dossier presented by the CBI, Mohammad Azharuddin also introduced former South African captain Hansie Cronje to a gang of bookmakers.

Greg Chappell vs Sourav Ganguly

Greg Chappell and Sourav Ganguly had the worst captain-coach conflict in Indian cricket history, and it was undoubtedly one of the worst in Indian cricket textbooks. It all began during India’s tour of Zimbabwe when Chappell urged that Ganguly be dismissed from the Indian test team. He also claimed that Ganguly is neither psychologically or physically prepared to head the Indian squad. Ganguly also criticised himself for recommending Greg Chappell as India’s coach.

Following the Zimbabwe trip, the leading selectors decided to remove Ganguly as captain, and he was eventually sacked from the ODI team as well. The decision to drop Ganguly from the Indian team did not go well with Indian supporters, who burned Chappell’s effigies and protested on the streets. His notorious tenure as Indian head coach ended when the Men in Blue were eliminated from the 2007 World Cup in the group round.

The Monkeygate Incident: Harbhajan Singh vs Andrew Symonds

The controversial clash between India’s reliable spinner, Harbhajan Singh and Australia’s top all-rounder, Andrew Symonds, a.k.a, the Monkeygate incident, occurred during India’s 2008 tour of Australia and is regarded as one of the most significant scandals in Indian cricket history.

The incident saw a confrontation between Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds during the second match at Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia. It reached the point where the tourists chose to withdraw from the trip before the ICC constituted a disciplinary committee to investigate the situation. Next, the committee’s investigation, Harbhajan Singh’s three-match Test suspension was removed, and India won the next Test match.

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IPL & Spot-fixing

This controversy shocked millions of cricket fans in India after learning that the Indian Premier League 2013 season had been tarnished by spot-fixing and betting events. Two well-known IPL franchises, the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals, were banned for two years in a row due to their involvement in the betting scam.

On the other hand, the Delhi Police detained three Rajasthan Royals players, S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Ankeet Chavan, for spot-fixing accusations in the IPL. The team’s owners, Raj Kundra and Gurunath Meiyappan, were arrested, and both CSK and RR franchises were suspended for two years. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) closely checks the competition to ensure no such disputes arise.

Virat Kohli vs Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble’s dismissal as head coach of the Indian cricket team in 2017 remains one of the most contentious issues in Indian cricket. Following India’s defeat against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final, Kumble was sacked as the team’s head coach. Kumble was asked to resign after only one year as the team’s head coach.

At the time, various publications highlighted conflicts between Kohli and Kumble as the primary cause for his dismissal as head coach. The captain and head coach were apparently at odds, which resulted in the dramatic firing. According to reports, Kohli was contacted when the authorities decided to extend the coach’s employment, but he stated that Kumble’s tutoring made junior players feel “intimidated”.