"We hugged for the first time and apologized to each other" - Harbhajan Singh reveals how he patched up with Andrew Symonds 

Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has revealed that he and Andrew Symonds hugged and apologized to each other over the ‘Monkeygate’ incident when they were teammates for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL.

A massive controversy broke out in the New Year Test of 2008 between India and Australia in Sydney when Harbhajan was accused of calling Symonds a ’monkey', an allegation the off-spinner denied.

A few years after the ugly incident, the two central characters in the scandal became teammates at MI. The Australian all-rounder was purchased by the Mumbai franchise ahead of the 2011 IPL season.

Speaking on Sportskeeda’s special show SK Tales, Harbhajan opened up on the emotional moment he and Symonds shared after a match. The former India off-spinner recalled:

“I remembered an incident when we were in Chandigarh. After playing a match that we won, we went to my friend’s place. There, we hugged for the first time and apologized to each other. We felt that the issue could have been sorted out in a more amicable manner. Both of us felt sorry. A lot of my friends from Mumbai Indians clicked pictures of that moment.”

Admitting that he was apprehensive when he first heard that the Aussie would be his teammate at MI, the Turbanator said:

“When Mumbai picked him, the first thought that came to my mind was - ‘why did they pick him? How will we (me and Symonds) get along together?’." He, however, asserted, “When he entered the MI dressing room, Andrew was a different man altogether. I thought he would some angry person and I feel he would have thought the same about me.”

The 41-year-old explained that as they met more often and started interacting during practice sessions, they became good friends. The former Indian cricketer elaborated:

“In fact, we used to eat together and sit together at night. The controversy between me and Symonds was blown out of proportion by the media. When we met, we never felt that there was any such animosity between us.”

Describing Symonds as one of the finest guys, 'Bhajji' hailed him for his never-say-die attitude as a cricketer, a quality that Harbhajan said he had in common with the Australian.

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“When you are playing with him, it’s like going together on a war” - Harbhajan on Ponting

The Turbanator shares a hug with Ponting. Pic: IPLT20.COM

Apart from Symonds, Harbhajan also mended fences with another on-field foe, Ricky Ponting, who briefly captained MI. Admitting that they had their issues as opponents, the recently retired cricketer said that things were completely different when they played together for Mumbai.

Sharing his experience of playing with Ponting in the IPL, Harbhajan recalled:

“Everyone knows what used to happen when we were opponents on the cricket field. But things changed when he started playing together. We sat together, we spoke about things that had happened earlier. Ponting sat with me and discussed ways to take the team forward because I was also a senior member of the squad. We put behind our past and focused completely on taking Mumbai forward in the IPL."

While Ponting was named MI captain for the 2013 season, he later handed over the mantle to Rohit Sharma as he wasn’t able to perform to expectations. Looking back at the edition, Harbhajan said:

“That year (2013) was my best year with Mumbai Indians because I took the most wickets for them that season and we won the title as well. There was a different level of confidence between us. I could speak openly to him (Ponting) and vice-versa. A great guy to play with. When you are playing with him, it’s like going together on a war.”

Harbhajan claimed 24 wickets in 19 matches at an economy rate of 6.51 during the IPL 2013 season, when MI lifted the title for the first time.