Harbhajan urged the fans to stop idolising Gilchrist as a saint.
The 2008 Sydney Test between India and Australia is famous for a number of umpiring errors against the visiting side.
During the match, Rahul Dravid was dismissed in a controversial fashion after missing a straight ball from Andrew Symonds. Gilchrist appealed for the wicket, and Dravid was given out. The Indian camp was left shocked as replays confirmed that there was no edge, indicating the umpire made an error in judgment.
Speaking on Star Sports, Harbhajan cited the example of Dravid’s dismissal and urged fans to stop idolising Gilchrist as a saint.
"He is often praised for walking off after nicking the ball. For me, he was not a saint, and we should stop praising him. He was also involved in cheating against India in that Sydney Test. He knew that Dravid didn't nick the ball but still claimed the catch. It was because of him the umpire declared the batter out. If he was so good, why did he appeal on that day?," Harbhajan said.
"On one hand he used to walk off to show the world that he was a good person, but on the other hand, he was involved in cheating. India were not playing against 11 players on that but against 13 (two umpires). We could have easily drawn the game but ended up losing because of what happened on the field," he added.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia is currently tied at 1-1. While the tourists won the series opener in Perth by 295 runs, the hosts bounced back to clinch the second Test in Adelaide by 10 wickets.
The third match of the five-Test series is currently being held at the Gabba, Brisbane.