Harbhajan Singh, Andrew Symonds hugged each other and cried: Ex-Mumbai Indians player

The ‘MonkeyGate’ scandal in
the 2008 Border-Gavaskar trophy was a bolt on the Australia-India Test series.
Late cricketer Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh were the people involved in
the notorious incident in the Sydney Test. Though a lot has been written on the
matter, the cricketers were not heard about their feeling later after their
retirement.

Also Read: Big Brother Andrew: The other side to Symonds

During their Mumbai Indians
day in IPL, Symonds and Harbhajan Singh became good friends. They forgot the
past and shared a good relationship.

Hours after Symonds was
killed in a fatal car crash in Townsville, a former Mumbai Indians player recollected a poignant incident during that 2011 season where both Harbhajan and
the former Australia all-rounder did not let their personal rivalry slip into
their friendship again. Harbhajan and Symonds hugged each other and also said
‘sorry’, a former Mumbai Indians player told PTI on condition of anonymity.

Also Read: Harbhajan Singh pays tribute to Australia legend Andrew Symonds

“I think we were in Mohali
for a match against Kings XI Punjab. We had an invite for a private party and
it was one memorable night we had. Everyone was in high spirits and suddenly
Harbhajan and Symonds both were seen hugging each other tightly and sobbing.

“It was a sight and
both were so emotional, saying “sorry” to each other. It seemed as if
both wanted to get rid of the burden that was there on their chest,” the
player told news agency PTI.

Also Read: IPL 2022: Why are CSK, GT players wearing black armbands?

Symonds started his IPL
career with Deccan Chargers for the first three seasons. In 2011, he moved to
Mumbai Indians.

“While Bhajji and Symmo
played against each other at the international level and in IPL but everyone
was sceptical as to how they would adjust with such a history between
them.”When he was about to touch base with MI, everyone thought how we
would need to handle him but he was an absolute delight around the group,”
the former MI player said.

Also Read: Andrew Symonds and the Monkeygate scandal which ruined the Aussie’s career

In fact, Harbhajan was the
captain of MI in Champions League T20 that year and whenever the team was
fielding, Symonds would refer to Harbhajan as “sir”. “Sir, where do you want me
to stand?” he would ask politely.

After their IPL stint,
Harbhajan and Symonds again shared some moments when they became commentators
during the 2015 World Cup. While the tournament was being played in Australia,
Harbhajan and Symonds did spend considerable time in Delhi for a private
channel as both were roped in as experts. They in fact sat together and
analysed India’s semi-final against Australia at Sydney.