'What hurt me 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".'
Harbhajan Singh says he still regrets his altercation with S Sreesanth during the inaugural IPL in 2008.
Playing for the Mumbai Indians, Harbhajan slapped Kings XI Punjab's Sreesanth after the IPL match in Mohali.
The off-spinner says he was 'provoked' by Sreesanth after the gae but admits he should not have behaved in that manner.
Harbhajan was banned for the rest of the IPL season while also being suspended for five One-Day Internationals by the BCCI.
The two players have since reconciled.
Speaking to Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube podcast Kutti Stories with Ash, Harbhajan said: 'One thing I would 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.'
Harbhajan says he felt remorse for his physical action and has apologised to Sreesanth many times after the incident.
'What happened was wrong and I shouldn't have done what I did. I apologised to him 200 times. What I felt so bad was that even years after that incident, I have been apologising 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. Yes, in that game we were opponents. But it shouldn't have gone to that level where we behave in such a manner.
'That was my fault and the only fault of his was that he provoked me, but that is okay actually. However, what I did was not right I said: 'Sorry'.
'But 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 is the impression I have left on her? She must be thinking of me in a poor light.
'She looks as me as the guy who hit her father. I felt so bad. I still apologise to his daughter that I can't do anything. I keep telling her, "If there is anything I can do to make you feel better and make you think I am not that kind of person, please tell me'.
'I wish when the little girl 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 is why I want to remove that chapter.'
Harbhajan also touched upon the infamous 'Monkeygate' incident involving Andrew Symonds during India's tour of Australia in 2008.
The Australian all-rounder accused Harbhajan of calling him a 'monkey' in the Sydney Test, a claim that the Indian spinner denied.
Harbhajan insists he never used any racist word against Symonds, who passed away in a road accident in May 2022.
'Honestly, it was the language barrier. For me it was English and for them it was Punjabi. During a fight, a Punjabi man will never call someone a monkey. What I said was (****) and after you say such a word you really don't know how the other person will perceive it.
'He assumed I called him something and if you fast forward it, you will realise what someone from that place would perceive it to be. The conversation became so heated that he only understood what he perceived.'
Harbhajan, who has 417 wickets in 103 Tests and 269 wickets in 236 ODIs for India, also spoke about the controversial incident early on his career when he was guilty of abusing Ricky Ponting during an ODI in Sharjah in 1998.
'Those days my English was (not that good). I heard that word from a lot of senior players. I thought the F word was very cool.
'So he hit me for a six, then hit me for a boundary through the covers. He stepped out to the next ball but it was a doosra and he completely missed it and got out.
'The moment he got out, I went to him and I was gesticulating things (to Ponting) and I didn't know the meaning of it. I was trying to be cool and aggressive and he charged towards me. I thought "What happened? He will beat me now".'
'The match referee called me after the game and luckily Talat Ali was the match referee and he spoke Hindi. He asked me, 'beta, do you know what you told Ponting?' I replied: 'Haanji Sir, I know what I told him, but I don't know the meaning.'
'Azharuddin (then the India captain) tried to convince the match referee 'He is a young kid, let this go, he will learn in the future'. I said 'Sorry, I didn't know the meaning'.
'And when I left the room I had a note in my hand which read: '100% match fees and next match ban'. I was thinking I have apologised and explained everything but still this ban.
'After going into the dressing room when I found out the meaning of the word, I was shocked.
'I was thinking if my father sees this I won't be able to go back home.'
'That is one of the moments which keeps resurfacing on social media. I don't want my kids to see it and ask me what word I used then.'
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