Paceman S Sreesanth's parents said they were "shocked" and "pained" to hear that Harbhajan Singh had slapped their son, but they did not want the off-spinner to be penalised further."Harbhajan is very close to Sree. He has come to our house here and addresses us as 'chacha' and 'amma' as Sree does," they said in Kochi.They were reacting to queries from reporters about the acrimony in Mohali when Sreesanth was slapped by Harbhajan after an Indian Premier League match between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians.The off-spinner was banned by the IPL for the remainder of the tournament on Monday.Sreesanth's father Santakumaran Nair said Harbhajan might have been upset after the defeat in the IPL match."He is a good boy and a good friend of Sree," he said. Sreesanth's mother Savitri Devi said when she saw her son weeping on the television screen she knew something was amiss.She said she never expected Harbhajan to slap her son. They, however, said Singh should not be further penalised, referring to the disciplinary process initiated by the BCCI against Harbhajan.Sreesanth's parents had come to receive a five sovereign gold medal on behalf of their son. The medal was presented by Congress leader Oommen chandy for the contribution made by Sreesanth to cricket.
