Bhajji plays down rivalry with Symmo
Ahead of the Hyderabad-Mumbai clash in the IPL, Harbhajan Singh has played down that infamous spat between him and Andrew Symonds.
By R Prasad
Time is the greatest healer, they say. Just over two years ago, an on-field spat between Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds threatened an abandonment of India's tour of Australia, before an uneasy truce was called and the tour continued.
The Indian off-spinner Harbhajan was accused by Australian all rounder Symonds of passing racist comments by calling him "monkey", during the controversial 2008 January Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The allegation that Harbhajan and the Indian camp stoutly denied.
Following a hearing by the ICC match referee, Harbhajan was found guilty and was banned. That was followed by a heated exchange and the tour was nearly abandoned. But a retired New Zealand judge conducted another hearing and absolved the off spinner of having passed a racist remark.
Significantly the words of Sachin Tendulkar, who was the other batsman at the crease when the incident took place, saved Harbhajan's skin during the second hearing. It led to Adam Gilchrist hitting out at the champion batsman in his book later that year, where he accused the maestro of not coming out with the truth at the hearing.
Gilchrist and Symonds, who are currently playing for Hyderabad outfit in the IPL, will be up against Tendulkar-led Mumbai team, of which Harbhajan is a key member, on Sunday in an IPL match at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
However, Harbhajan, who always had a stormy relationship with the Australians since his Test debut against the country in 1998, played down that infamous spat.
Terming it as just another game, Harbhajan hoped he could clinch the game for his team, which is on a roll.
"It is just another game for me. It is not about my rivalry with Symonds but about a game of cricket. Hopefully, I will win a game for Mumbai," he said.
The 29-year-old Harbhajan, India's second-highest wicket-taker in Tests (355 in 83), wanted Mumbai to book their semi-final berth well in advance and not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
"We want to win this game and gain 10 points. We want to play good cricket and become the first team to qualify for the semis. We don't want to leave anything for the later stage," he said.
When asked about Tendulkar's superb form with the bat, the off spinner doffed his hat to his skipper.
"He's been a great match-winner for India and is now doing it for Mumbai. It's great to have a player who is leading from the front and scoring all the runs. I hope he continues this form and win lots of games for us," said Harbhajan.
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