Ricky Ponting had little interest in revisiting the Monkeygate scandal of 2008, in the headlines again amid the release of Sachin Tendulkar’s autobiography.
Ponting and Adam Gilchrist come under criticism in Tendulkar’s book, which details how India were “very serious” about walking out on the tour following Harbhajan Singh’s three-match ban.
Harbhajan was found to have racially abused Andrew Symonds, despite protestations he instead said “Teri maa ki'” – a northern Indian expression which means ‘Your mother’.
Harbhajan was then cleared of racial abuse, instead given a fine for offensive language.
Tendulkar writes about how aggrieved he was with match referee Mike Procter’s verdict, adding that the “hearing in Sydney had been something of a farce”.
“It is never a pleasant thing to be called a liar and I was extremely angry,” he said.
The two national boards had agreed any racial incidents should be reported to the match referee, but Tendulkar criticised Ponting for going straight to Procter.
“Even so, I still believe that the matter would not have been blown so out of proportion if Ponting had discussed it with the captain Anil Kumble, Harbhajan and the Indian team management before reporting the incident,” he writes.
“In turn, Mike Procter could also have handled the matter with a little more sensitivity.”
Ponting was uninterested in starting a war of words before India lob for a four-Test series over summer.
“I’ve spoken a lot about it in my book. I’ve spoken a lot about it in press conferences and things around the world for a lot of years,” he said on Thursday.
“I’ve got nothing to add to it because he’s giving his side of events.
“I’ve given my side of the events in the past.
“All I can say is that hand on heart, I did everything I was expected to do by the betterment of the game and by the betterment of society.”
Clarke, speaking to reporters alongside Ponting at a World Cup event in Sydney, was likewise tightlipped.
“I haven’t read it so I look forward to reading his book,” Clarke said.
Also in his book, Tendulkar is critical of Australia’s “rather unsportsmanlike conduct” during the tense SCG Test when Harbhajan was reported.
“Rahul Dravid was given out caught behind off Symonds for 38 by umpire Bucknor when his bat seemed to be a fair distance away from the ball,” he writes.
“Adam Gilchrist was standing up to the stumps at the time and was in the best position to see if the ball had touched Rahul’s bat.
“Yet he who prided himself on walking off if he nicked the ball appealed for the caught-behind and to our disbelief we saw the umpire raise the finger. It was a shocking decision.”
