#3 Monkeygate and Perth
An all-time low in the India-Australia cricketing ties. What unfolded during the Sydney Test in 2008 defined how the two teams faced each other in years to come.
An Indian expletive allegedly directed at Andrew Symonds by Harbhajan Singh led to it being construed as a racial attack. Teammates from either sides swooped in, in a contest that had already been marred by questionable umpiring standards. The end result? A perfect recipe for a pot boiler.
Accusations were thrown from either side, big names like Sachin Tendulkar and Matthew Hayden got involved. Judicial processes were undertaken when Harbhajan was slapped with what many called an unjust punishment.
And then there was the bombshell – the Indian team suggested that it would like to discontinue with the tour. A lot of arbitration later, India headed to Perth to play the third Test. Thanks to some splendid performances from Rahul Dravid and Irfan Pathan, India won the match, that too on the fastest wicket in the world – thereby ending Australia’s record streak yet another time.
The Perth win was about the resilience and belief of a group of excellent cricketers who were being led by one of India’s best leaders in calamity, Anil Kumble.
