Former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi took the cricketing world by storm last week as he made the video of the 'slap-gate' row, involving Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth, public.

Notably, Harbhajan had found himself engulfed in a huge controversy after he slapped Sreesanth during one of the matches in the inaugural edition of Indian Premier League.

Speaking on the latest episode of ex-Australian captain Michael Clarke’s Beyond23 Podcast, Modi released the footage of the slap-gate in the aftermath of an IPL 2008 clash between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab).

In the never-seen-before clip, Harbhajan could be seen slapping Sreesanth with the back of his hand during the post-match handshakes.

Sreesanth was left in tears after the incident, being consoled by his captain and Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene. Harbhajan then once again proceeded to return towards Sreesanth, making an animated gesture before Irfan Pathan and Mahela diffused the situation.

Meanwhile, former India cricketer Robin Uthappa, who was also part of that controversial fixture, slammed Clarke for releasing the video. He compared it to divulging long kept Australian cricket controversies to protect players’ dignity.

“That whole Slapgate thing that happened in the IPL. What the f*** man? How does someone get away with stuff like that?" Uthappa said on the Kim-Appa show with Jarrod Kimber.

“Now, imagine we put up a clip of something that an Australian did that was offensive, that was kept under wraps for the respect of that whole situation, to save the respect of that situation, which is an impulsive, bad decision that a human being made… Now that you have gone and interviewed someone, and you have got access to the file, do you think you have the right to publish it, put that into the world, and make those two people go through that whole emotion, that raw emotion, 20 years later?" he added.

Uthappa was particularly disappointed with the lack of empathy shown in reviving the slap-gate controversy. He also questioned racial double standards in cricket, highlighting how non-brown players often escape scrutiny while Indians are subjected to embarrassment for a long time.

“Where is your sense of sensitivity and empathy for other people?" Uthappa asked. “We all make mistakes, but are we going to keep putting it out there to make people go through the embarrassment of the wrong choices the person has made? For me, it’s guys who aren’t brown skinned who get away with it a lot more. Today, we are speaking about Sunny G having an opinion on what other countries speak about Indian cricket. But what about this? Imagine the human implications of this… You can’t treat people like crap just because it’ll get you more views," he added.

Sreesanth's wife, Bhuvneshwari, has already expressed her displeasure with Modi and Clarke when she posted a scathing Instagram story.

Bhuvneshwari highlighted that both players have moved on from the episode as she termed the act as "disgusting, heartless and inhuman". She went on to tell Modi and Clarke to fear God, accusing them of causing pain to families and innocent children for their own benefit.