India’s tour of Australia in 2008 hit the headlines for all the right and wrong reasons. There were several instances where the Indian team was unlucky as the decisions went against the side on multiple occasions and one among them being Ricky Ponting taking a controversial catch at slip to dismiss Sourav Ganguly.
It was heartbreaking for the Indian supporters to see their team on the receiving end of some ridiculous officiating.
Besides the on-field controversies, the infamous Monkeygate scandal rocked the Test series, an episode which harmed the relationship between two teams – India and Australia.
Ricky Ponting discloses what went on during Monkeygate scandal
The former Australia skipper Ponting revealed what went on during Monkeygate scandal against India.
The two-time world cup winning captain Ponting had also opened up his experience wherein he admitted that the series of events that followed up was the lowest point of his captaincy stint.
“We all felt let down by the end result (of the Monkeygate controversy). The fact that it got in the way of the way we played our cricket for the next Test match was probably the most disappointing thing. So we go over there and India at Perth is game we expect to win and then we lost the match and after that, the next few days things just got worse and worse,” Ponting told on the sky sports podcast.
Monkeygate was the lowest point in my captaincy: Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting admitted that the infamous Monkeygate scandal was the lowest point in his captaincy stint as he added he was not in complete control of what happened during the whole episode.
“Monkeygate was probably the lowest (point in career as captain). Losing the 2005 Ashes series was tough but I was in full control of that. But I wasn’t in full control of what happened during the Monkeygate thing. It was a low point and also because it dragged on for so long. I remember coming off the ground during the Adelaide Test match and speaking to Cricket Australia officials about the case because the hearing was at the end of the Adelaide Test match,” he added.
Ricky Ponting added that he had cleared tension with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble during his IPL stint with the four-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians.