Former Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds says the 'monkeygate' incident during the home series against India in 2008 triggered his downfall in international cricket and even led to bouts of "binge drinking".
Symonds accused Harbhajan Singh of calling him a 'monkey' in the Sydney Test, a claim that the Indian spinner denied. The infamous incident led to Harbhajan being banned for three games but it was overturned after the Indian team threatened to pull out of the tour.
The 43-year-old recalled how the entire episode affected him.
"From that moment on that was my downhill slide. I started to drink heavily as a result of it and my life was starting to dissolve around me," Symonds told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"I felt the pressure and the weight of dragging those mates of mine into the cauldron of this cesspit that should never have got to this sort of point where we felt guilty.
"I was dealing with it the wrong way. I felt guilty that I'd dragged my mates (teammates) into something I didn't think they deserved to be involved in."
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