Sachin often changed his stance: Ponting
23 Oct 2013 5:31 AM IST
After questioning Sachin Tendulkar’s conduct during the ‘Monkeygate’ scandal in his autobiography, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting now says he has made peace with key Indian characters of the ugly drama in his IPL stint with Mumbai Indians.
‘I had to captain Harbhajan and Sachin while the then India captain Anil Kumble was the mentor/coach. They wouldn’t have had me there if ‘Monkeygate’ hadn’t passed over,’ Ponting told ESPNcricinfo.
Ponting, however, maintained Tendulkar changed his stance during the scandal a couple of times. ‘I didn’t have any problem with them. Sachin was trying to look after his mate and changed his story a couple of times. But when I got to Mumbai, we shook hands saying we’ll make this work for the next couple of months,’ Ponting said.
However, the pain of all-rounder Andrew Symonds, who alleged Harbhajan Singh racially abused him, has remained, Ponting added. ‘The worst of it all was the impact it had on Symonds. I had tried to protect him in the lead-up to the hearing, but when it was done, I reckon it took the wind out of his sails. In many ways Symonds was gone from that moment on and it still makes me angry,’ Ponting wrote in the autobiograohy.
‘I had to captain Harbhajan and Sachin while the then India captain Anil Kumble was the mentor/coach. They wouldn’t have had me there if ‘Monkeygate’ hadn’t passed over,’ Ponting told ESPNcricinfo.
Ponting, however, maintained Tendulkar changed his stance during the scandal a couple of times. ‘I didn’t have any problem with them. Sachin was trying to look after his mate and changed his story a couple of times. But when I got to Mumbai, we shook hands saying we’ll make this work for the next couple of months,’ Ponting said.
However, the pain of all-rounder Andrew Symonds, who alleged Harbhajan Singh racially abused him, has remained, Ponting added. ‘The worst of it all was the impact it had on Symonds. I had tried to protect him in the lead-up to the hearing, but when it was done, I reckon it took the wind out of his sails. In many ways Symonds was gone from that moment on and it still makes me angry,’ Ponting wrote in the autobiograohy.
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