Seventeen years later, Bhajji-Sreesanth slapgate footage in public domain

Few off-field dramas have lived rent-free in the collective memory of Indian cricket fans quite like "slapgate" from IPL 2008. Harbhajan Singh's altercation with Sreesanth has been whispered about, memed endlessly, and retold in a dozen versions - but until now, never actually seen.

That changed this week when a video clip surfaced online, courtesy Michael Clarke's podcast with Lalit Modi, showing the infamous moment in all its raw awkwardness. Grainy but unmistakable, the footage captures Harbhajan's flash of temper, Sreesanth's stunned reaction, and teammates trying to calm things down.

What it doesn't show is what really happened. Was Sreesanth provoking Harbhajan? Did the punishment - a five-ODI ban - fit the deed back then? Should the footage have remained in the vault forever?

Both players have, in reality, long moved on. Harbhajan has spoken about regrets, Sreesanth has often laughed it off in interviews, and the two have even been spotted joking together on TV shows. But the video turns folklore into history with a 17-year-old story suddenly feeling brand new.

If nothing else, the clip is a reminder that in cricket, just as in life, the most unforgettable moments aren't always the sixes and the hat-tricks, but the unscripted, messy human ones that resurface years later to make everyone go, "Wait, did that really happen?"