Hayden regrets calling Bhajji an 'obnoxious little weed'

New Delhi: Australian opening batsman Matthew Hayden has said that he regretted the 'obnoxious little weed' comment he had made about Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.

Hayden, who made the comment during a chat show on a Brisbane radio, now wants to patch up with Harbhajan.

The Australian cricketer was quoted on the website of an Australian newspaper The Courier Mail as saying he wanted to find out if there was any way they could move forward with their relationship.

He also admitted putting fuel on a fire that was already raging with charges of alleged racial abuse, gamesmanship and poor umpiring

"I don't know how Harbhajan is feeling but he made it clear how he feels about our team. I could have used a different choice of words (referring to an "obnoxious little weed" comment) . In 15 years of cricket, I had a slip. It wasn't to disgrace or denigrate Harbhajan. I could have gone for a different turn of phrase. In the end all I did was put fuel on a fire that already existed. It wasn't necessary. It was a mistake," Hayden said about his comment and relationship with Harbhajan.

The comment also earned him a reprimand from Cricket Australia.

"I want to sit down with him and see if there is any way we can move forward with our relationship because it hasn't been great. I'd like to see where he's at and see if we can patch up our differences. Frankly, everyone is sick of it," he said about Harbhajan.

He also dismissed reports that cricketing relations between India and Australia were beyond repair.

"No I don't think so. Look, there's definite tension, but if I was a spectator, that's what I'd want to see," he said about India's tour Down Under.

Hayden also said that the Indians were a pleasant lot off the field.

"At the end of the day, two alpha dogs are never going to sit in a cage and not look at each other. It is what it is. The way I see my cricket, if you're the other alpha dog, you better not blink. I feel I'd be letting down my country if I was to blink," Hayden said.

Harbhajan was at the center of several disputes with Australian players, particularly Hayden and all-rounder Andrew Symonds, during the tour, where India won the tri-series finals 2-0.