PERTH, Dec 16: Andrew Symonds says India spinner Harbhajan Singh �broke down crying� while making peace after the infamous �monkeygate� episode had sent the former Australian all-rounder into a downward spiral.
A decade on from the ugly incident in the 2008 Sydney Test, where Harbhajan was accused of calling Symonds a �monkey�, the Australian said they emotionally called a truce three years later.
The pair buried the hatchet while turning up for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.
�He actually broke down crying, and I could just see that was a huge weight off his shoulders, he had to get rid of it. We shook hands and I gave him a hug and said: �Mate, it�s all good. It�s dealt with�,� Symonds told Fox Sports.
Harbhajan, who at time denied any wrongdoing, was suspended for three matches. But the ban was overturned after the visiting team, feeling hard done-by, lodged a protest in what was an all-time low in India-Australia cricket relations.
Reliving, Symonds said, �We go to a very wealthy man�s place for a barbecue, drinks and dinner one night and the whole team�s there and he had guests there, and Harbhajan said �Mate, can I speak to you for a minute out in the garden out in the front�.
�He goes, �Look, I�ve got to say sorry to you for what I did to you in Sydney. I apologise, I hope I didn�t cause you, your family, your friends too much harm and I really apologise for what I said, I shouldn�t have said it�.�
Symonds, who was born in England with one of his parents of West Indian background, has previously recounted how his life went downhill after the incident. � PTI
