Mike Proctor dwells his views on the 2008 Monkey gate in his book

India’s tour of Australia in 2007-08 was full of excitement as India gave a good fight after losing the first two Tests. They had won the fourth Test after holding the Australians to a draw in the third game. They won the ODI tri-series involving India, Australia and Sri Lanka by beating the Australians in the first two finals in the format of best of three finals.

Although the series had been played under a lot of miffs and fights between the two sides. There was a time when Indian team was ready to abandon the series after off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was slapped a three-test ban following an incident involving Andrew Symonds during the Syndey Test.

The story

The infamous monkey gate incident occurred during the 2nd Test of the 4-match Tese series in the Sydney Test when the Australians accused India’s off-spinner Harbhajan Singh of passing a racial remark to Andrew Symonds. Australians have complained the same to the match referee Mike Proctor. Australians complained that Harbhajan Singh called Symonds a monkey. Although neither the on-field umpire nor the non-striker Sachin Tendulkar heard anything of that kind as per Mike Proctor who revealed this in his book.

Monekygate from the book of Mike Proctor

Talking about the incident in his book “Caught in the middle”, Proctor revealed that the Indians didn’t provide anything which they could’ve been considered as an evidence while Australians were adamant with their point. Australia skipper Ricky Ponting had argued during the hearing of the case to Proctor and Nigel Peters QC that his players confirmed that heard Singh using the term money for Symonds.

Harbhajan Singh as per India‘s manager Chetan Chauhan was not so good with English hence did not attend the hearing. Chahaun had cleared that Indians cannot be racist and he termed it as a made up story. Chauhan according to Proctor’s book presented album which showed Indian deities with monkey heads and said that Indians can not insult them. Although with almost nothing as an evidence coming from the Indian side, Harbhajan Singh was banned for three matches.

Indians appealed against the decision and the ban was overturned after Sachin Tendulkar’s testimony where he cleared that Harbhajan had used Hindi word “Maa ki” while saying something to Symonds which the batsman and others understood as “Monkey”.

In the book, Proctor says if Tendulkar’s testimony had come earlier, the decision could’ve been different.