Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh courted controversy over a remark he made during Sunday’s Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR).
During the running commentary, Harbhajan referred to English pacer Jofra Archer as “kaali taxi” (black taxi), a comment that did not sit well with fans.
That Archer did not have a good spell against SRH is a completely different matter. It was not Archer's day as he conceded 76 runs in four overs without claiming a single wicket.
But the former Indian spinner's taunting, one he would find it difficult to spin his way out of, received strong criticism and triggered a social media uproar.
"London me kaali taxi ka meter tez bhaagta hai, aur yaha pe Archer sahab ka meter bhi tez bhaaga hai (Like the meter of London's black taxis, Archer's meter has also been on the higher side)," Harbhajan was heard saying during his commentary in the SRH vs RR match.
Fans quickly demanded an apology from the former cricketer, but he has yet to respond or clarify the remark.
“Harbhajan Singh has called Jofra Archer a black taxi driver with a high meter value just now in the Hindi commentary. This is vile and disgusting. Please ban him,” one fan reacted to the incident.
“Shame Shame Shame,” another wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“Harbhajan considers himself a white man? Very strange. Very sad,” a user commented, while another added that there is no place for racism in sports.
The former Indian cricketer had himself dealt with racism during his playing days.
The match saw SRH come out on top against a determined RR after posting 286 runs, the second-highest total in IPL history. They also hold the record for the highest total, scoring 287/3 last season against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
RR fought hard till the end but was only able to score 242 runs while chasing.
