Nearly 18 years after one of the Indian Premier League’s most notorious incidents, Harbhajan Singh says he is open to spending time with S. Sreesanth in the hope of finally clearing the air.

Harbhajan suggests sharing a room

Speaking to PTI, Harbhajan said putting the former teammates together could help settle the issues that have lingered since the inaugural IPL season.

“If both of us are in the same room, a lot of things will get solved. I see it from that perspective. You can pick him as my roommate. I have no problems,” Harbhajan said.

The incident that became ‘Slapgate’

The rift dates back to an IPL 2008 match, when Harbhajan slapped Sreesanth. Television footage of an emotional Sreesanth on the field quickly became one of the tournament’s defining moments.

Harbhajan was subsequently suspended for 11 IPL matches and fined heavily. Despite the controversy, the pair later continued to share the Indian dressing room and were teammates in India’s victorious 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup campaigns.

Sreesanth issues a boxing challenge

The latest exchange began after Sreesanth was shown an old photograph of the two players wearing boxing gloves. He responded by challenging Harbhajan to face him in a boxing ring.

“Do you have the guts to come into the ring with me? Can you sign and come?” Sreesanth said, calling it an “open challenge” and insisting that the bout would not be an act.

Harbhajan’s response suggests he would prefer a private conversation—and perhaps a shared room—to a public confrontation as both former India teammates revisit a feud that has followed them since 2008.