Harbhajan Singh Sparks Controversy with his Racist Remark on Jofra Archer
India’s legendary retired spinner Harbhajan Singh stirred an apparent racism row after controversially comparing England’s powerhouse pacer Jofra Archer to a ‘black taxi’.
His statement came during the commentary of the IPL 2025 match between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), held on March 23.
His below the belt phrase has triggered a huge controversy with his on-air remarks for the fast bowler.
The incident reportedly happened during the 18th over of the first innings, when Archer was bowling to SRH batters Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen. Harbhajan’s comment came after the South Africa international smashed consecutive boundaries against Archer on the second and third ball of the over.
‘London me kaali taxi ka meter tez bhaagta hai, Aur yaha pe Archer sahab ka meter bhi tez bhaaga hai”, Harbhajan quipped on air during his verbal stint.
This on-air remark has made the fans and netizens visibly upset on social media and have called out for his immediate suspension from the IPL 2025 commentary panel.
This rather bizarre remark of comparing a black taxi in reference to the English pacer Jofra Archer seems rather overboard. Being a victim of racism himself during his active cricketing days, the sensitivity expected clearly seemed latent.
A number of fans took to social media to lambast Harbhajan on the matter and seek an apology from him. ‘The Turbanator’, as he is fondly addressed, hasn’t yet issued a clarification or apologized on the matter.
With several posts being circulated on X and Instagram, this loose comment has been found to be rather vile and disgusting by cricket followers.
As for the match, the Pat Cummins led orange army posted a whopping 286 runs on the board, the second-highest total in the IPL history, thanks to Ishan Kishan and Travis Head’s exemplary performances.
The Royals could only chase 242 runs while trying to best to beat the ‘record’ target. As for Archer’s bowling, he didn’t impress much as he went on to leak 76 runs in his quota of 4 overs, without taking a single wicket.
The right-arm pacer’s bowling figures in his first game of the IPL 2025 edition turned out to be the most expensive in the tournament’s history, as he went past Mohit Sharma’s statistic of 0/73 for Gujarat Titans against Delhi Capitals last year.
Archer’s unimpressive bowling could have been the genesis of Bhajji taking a sly dig at him and attributing the racist remark, inviting the heat from audiences. Will Harbhajan continue in commentary panel or not after this remark is something to be seen.
