Harbhajan Singh, the veteran Indian spinner, finds himself caught in a controversy after comparing England's fast bowler Jofra Archer to a 'black taxi' on Sunday, March 23, 2024.
His statement came during the commentary for the IPL 2025 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad. The statement has now sparked a racism row on social media.
During the 18th over of the first innings, when Archer was bowling to SRH batters Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen, the incident took place.
Harbhajan Singh's controversial remarks followed after the South African international hit back-to-back boundaries off Archer on the second and third balls of the over.
The 44-year-old veteran Indian cricketer in the statement said, "London me kaali taxi ka meter tez bhaagta hai, Aur yaha pe Archer sahab ka meter bhi tez bhaaga hai (Similar to the meter of London's black taxis, Archer's performance has also been consistently on the higher side).
This is when he turned many heads around, and his on-air remark left fans furious on social media. Some have called for his immediate suspension from the IPL 2025 commentary panel.
Amid the ongoing controversial row over social media, netizens on the internet are fuming. Some have called for his suspension if he doesn't apologise to Jofra Archer.
One user wrote on X (formerly called Twitter), "Harbhajan's reaction tells the story here. Don't cry. And say sorry to jofra @harbhajan_singh"
"Shame on u for Those remarks on Jofra archer," another wrote.
"Shame on you @harbhajan_singh"
"If that was said from @harbhajan_singh then it's really not in good taste , he sud be punished & banned from any such commentary."
"ECB Should Sentence Death for Harbhajan Singh for this offence Racism is not allowed anymore...????♀???♀???"
"Harbhajan Singh should also be removed from the commentary for a year to make wrong comments on Jofra Archer," one said.?
Jofra Archer, the English cricketer, is considered one of the most exciting fast bowlers of the modern era. Archer was born and raised in Barbados, and then he made the move to England after not getting enough opportunities back home. However, he got the chance to represent the West Indies Under 19 team but was left out of the U19 World Cup.
Currently, he is playing in the Rajasthan Royals team in the Indian Premier League (IPL).?
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