Harbhajan Singh remembers ‘good friend’ Andrew Symonds: ‘He was someone who I could call at 2:30 in the morning’
Harbhajan Singh, who shared a lot of history with the ex-Australian cricketer, was left “shocked” with the unfortunate incident and extended his prayers to the bereaved family.
The cricket fraternity woke up to the tragic news of Andrew Symonds' death on Sunday morning. The former Australia all-rounder, aged 46, died in a car accident, which left most former cricketers devastated. (IPL 2022 full coverage)
Harbhajan Singh, who shared a lot of history with the ex-Australian cricketer, too was left “shocked” with the unfortunate incident and extended his prayers to the bereaved family.
“Shocked to hear about the sudden demise of Andrew Symonds. Gone too soon. Heartfelt condolences to the family and friends. Prayers for the departed soul #RIPSymonds,” the former spinner tweeted.
Both Harbhajan and Symonds were involved in one of cricket's most ugliest controversies - the Monkeygate scandal - an incident which took place during India's tour of Australia in 2007.
However, the duo ultimately made peace with the incident while sharing the Mumbai Indians dressing room during the 2011 edition, which was also Symonds' final season in the lucrative T20 league.
Harbhajan, who is part of the IPL experts panel, opened about his bond with Symonds during the pre-match show ahead of the match between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans on Sunday afternoon.
“Obviously we've had a lot of history. Thanks to IPL and Mumbai Indians for putting both of us together in one dressing room. And once I got to know such a lovely human being and we became very good friends.
"We used to sit together, have a drink, laugh, share a lot of stories. He was someone who I could call at 2:30 in the morning and say ‘hey mate, what are you doing, what are you up to, lets meet' and he would be up for it,” said the former India bowler on Star Sports, the official broadcasting partner of IPL.
An emotional Harbhajan said he felt “shattered” when he woke up to the news.
“I woke up this morning and saw my phone and I was shattered with this news that Andrew is no more. I still can't believe Andrew is no more because he's such a strong guy and whatever has happened is a very sad thing. My condolence to his family and friends and it's a loss for all of us,” he added.
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Symonds was an integral part of the Australian unit, which had won consecutive World Cups in 2003 and 2007.
The batting all-rounder represented Australia in 26 Tests and was considered one of the best players in the limited over formats of the game, most notably in ODIs.
In the 50-over format, Symonds made 198 appearances for his country in which he accumulated over 5000 runs and 133 wickets.
He had also represented defunct Deccan Chargers, and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. In a 39-match IPL career, the all-rounder scored 974 runs and scalped 20 wickets.
