The Aftermath of Monkeygate and How IPL Bridged the Gulf

Due to terrible umpiring that was witnessed during the match, the second test between Australia and India in Sydney 2008 continues to be one of the most heated, disgraced games in Test history. The Monkeygate incident, however, was a bigger topic that took center stage and overshadowed everything else.

Explaining Monkeygate Scandal

The “Monkeygate Scandal” is the name given to the verbal conflict between Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh during the second Test match between India and Australia in Sydney in 2008. The off-spinner is accused of calling Symonds a ‘monkey’ and screaming racist remarks at Symonds.

When and how did the incident occur?

During India’s 2008 tour of Australia, the incident snapped out during the second Test match in Sydney. The Indian team, captained by Anil Kumble, arrived in Sydney hoping to do better after being destroyed in the opening Test at the MCG by a massive 37 runs. However, the match was driven by controversy from the very start when on-field umpire Steve Bucknor made several questionable judgments in the first innings, all in Australia’s favor.

Among the wrong calls were one for Australian captain Ricky Ponting, who was caught behind with Australia 45/2, and two for Andrew Symonds, who was missed stumping and caught behind with scores of 191/6 and 423/7, respectively. Australia eventually recorded a massive 463 in their first innings, which irritated the Indians because they were confident and could have dismissed Australia for under 300 without the questionable judgments.

Therefore, as India stepped out of the bat, emotions were already running high. Though India was on track to win the first innings because of the centuries of Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, as well as a heroic fifty from Sourav Ganguly, what happened after the 116th over of the Indian innings shocked the cricketing world for months to come.

With the score at 451/7 and the Aussies anxious, pacer Brett Lee turned up the heat and delivered many a thunderbolt to Harbhajan. After fending off the final ball of Lee’s over, Harbhajan moved all the way over to the other side of the wicket and exchanged a few words with Symonds, which appeared to be quite normal in real time. However, hell broke loose quickly, and within seconds of the duo’s verbal battle, on-field umpire Mark Benson had some harsh words for Harbhajan, who appeared confused by the umpire’s statements on camera.

The Australians eventually realised that Harbhajan had allegedly called Symonds a ‘monkey’ and that they had complained to the umpire about the incident. As the incident happened in front of Sachin Tendulkar, who was the batsman at the other end, Ponting and Matthew Hayden each had lengthy conversations with the Indian spinner.

Also Read: Top 5 Controversial Dismissals in cricket history

What was the reaction of the teams to the incident?

While both Harbhajan and Sachin insisted that no racist abuse was directed towards Symonds, the Australians were outraged and eventually chose to punish the Indian off-spinner for the alleged racist statements. In fact, the bad blood was seen on the field as well, as the Australians declined to shake hands with Indian captain Anil Kumble following the completion of the Test. However, Adam Gilchrist later stated that the Australian players did indeed go to the Indian players’ changing area after the game and shake hands. 

Did the ICC take any action against Harbhajan?

In the immediate aftermath of the match, match referee Mike Procter determined after a four-hour hearing that Harbhajan had violated Level 3 of the ICC’s Code of Conduct and banned the Indian off-spinner for three tests. 

“I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Harbhajan Singh intended that word to offend on the basis of Symonds’ race or ethnic origin,” Procter said in announcing the verdict.

However, the Indian team management, apparently not satisfied with the judgement, threatened to withdraw out of the trip before appealing the ban. Following that, a formal court hearing was held in Adelaide’s Federal Court building, with Ponting, Hayden, and Clarke testifying for Symonds and Sachin testifying for Harbhajan Singh. Finally, ICC appeals commissioner Justice John Hansen declared Harbhajan ‘not guilty’ of racially insulting Symonds, and the three-match ban was reversed, with the off-spinner receiving a 50% match fee fine instead. 

Were the accusations correct?

The court dismissed the case due to inconclusive evidence, and to be honest, no one knows if Harbhajan truly ended up racially assaulting Symonds. While India has maintained that there was no racist abuse, the Australians have insisted that Symonds was subjected to racism and have expressed their unhappiness with the court’s decision. In his autobiography, “True Colours: My Life,” Gilchrist even referred to Sachin Tendulkar as a “sore loser.” 

Has the situation calmed down since the incident?

Certainly. And, in many ways, the IPL was helpful in accomplishing the same. In the IPL, Harbhajan and Symonds happened to play for the same franchise, the Mumbai Indians, and have since managed to put behind them the terrible spat that erupted in 2008. However, Symonds occasionally mentions how severely impacted he was by the episode, implying that he hasn’t forgiven Harbhajan for the alleged racist remarks.