'I Deeply Regret My Comment': Kamran Akmal Apologises To Harbhajan Over 'Sikh Joke'

Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has sent a stinging response to his Pakistani counterpart, Kamran Akmal, for a racist comment made by the latter. Akmal made the controversial statement mocking Sikhs in context to Indian star pacer Arshdeep Singh on a Pakistani TV show. The video has since gone viral on net.

Harbhajan Singh was quick to respond to the video clip as soon as it caught his attention. The former spinner took to X to blast Akmal and at the same time gave him a short history lesson as well. The former Pakistani wicket-keeper batsman has issued an apology.

The 18-second clip shows Akmal sitting in a panel hosted by ARY News and discussing about the T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan. Here, he made a controversial remark about Arshdeep's religion - Sikhism - and said, "Kuch bhi ho sakta hai... 12 baj gaye hai (Anything can happen. It is already 12)."

This obviously didn't go down too well with Harbhajan who didn't mince any words while slamming Kamran over it. Harbhajan said "Lakh di laanat tere Kamraan Akhmal.. You should know the history of Sikhs before you open your filthy mouth. We Sikhs saved your mothers and sisters when they were abducted by invaders, the time invariably was 12 o'clock . Shame on you...Have some Gratitude."

Responding to this, Akmal issued an apology to the Sikh community and Harbhajan. He said, "I deeply regret my recent comments and sincerely apologize to @harbhajan_singh and the Sikh community. My words were inappropriate and disrespectful. I have the utmost respect for Sikhs all over the world and never intended to hurt anyone. I am truly sorry."

Now, talking about the match between India and Pakistan, the Men in Blue were put to bat first after losing the toss. The Indian batting lineup struggled on a challenging surface. Star openers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were dismissed for 4 and 13 runs, respectively, failing to provide the solid start the team needed.

However, Rishabh Pant stood out with an impressive knock of 42 runs off 31 balls, including six boundaries. He built useful partnerships with Axar Patel, who scored 20 runs in 18 balls, and Suryakumar Yadav, who managed seven runs off eight balls.

Despite Pant's valiant efforts, India's lower-middle order collapsed, resulting in a total of just 119 runs in 19 overs.

Pakistan's bowlers performed exceptionally well, with Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah both taking three wickets each, giving away 21 runs apiece. Mohammed Amir added two wickets to his tally, while Shaheen Shah Afridi contributed with one wicket.

During the run chase, Pakistan opted for a more cautious approach. Mohammed Rizwan anchored the innings with 31 runs off 44 balls, including a four and a six. However, India's bowlers kept the pressure on. Jasprit Bumrah's impressive spell of 3/14 and Hardik Pandya's 2/24 proved crucial in dismissing key Pakistani batsmen, including Babar Azam (13), Fakhar Zaman (13), Shadab Khan (4), and Iftikhar Ahmed (5).

Arshdeep Singh also chipped in with one wicket.

Needing 18 runs in the final over, Naseem Shah's unbeaten 10 runs weren't enough to take Pakistan over the line. India won the match by six runs.

Bumrah was named 'Player of the Match' for his clinical bowling performance.

(With agency inputs)