Robin Uthappa gives the perfect answer when Symonds called him a monkey

Mumbai: India and Australia have had unforgettable rivalries in the past. But the heated battles have not just been confined to the mundane bat and ball, it has surpassed into other aspects as well.

Sledging has been one area the Aussies have mastered very well. Besides being known for their fiery approach to the game, the Aussies also have mastered the art of disrupting the momentum of the opposition by making a point after every delivery.

Read: When Harbhajan could not understand pregnant Darren Lehmann

However, there were some incidents when Indian players have emerged victorious during such clashes. Karnataka cricketer Robin Uthappa opened up about an incident during the 2007 T20 World Cup while he was still nascent in his playing career, and could still shut up a dominating Aussie Matthew Hayden.

When I went into bat, Matthew Hayden was sledging me a lot. I am the kind of guy who takes it in my stride but makes sure I give it back. When I was fielding and he came to bat I was giving it to him. He didn’t like it and obviously I was just a youngster getting off the blocks in international cricket.

Also Read: When Gautam Gambhir’s wife said ‘no’ to World Cup final

He said, “You know I’ve played 11 years of international cricket, you need to respect me”. And I was like hey boss I think you are forgetting something that respect isn’t demanded it’s earned. I think that hit a soft spot with him and I didn’t hear a word from him after that. Couple of overs later we had someone cast limb and he was bowled,” Uthappa told cricket humourist Vikram Sathaye on an episode of ‘What The Duck’.

Both India and Australia also one reached a point of war during the infamous ‘Monkeygate’ scandal when Andrew Symonds had alleged that Harbhajan Singh had racially abused him by calling him a monkey.

In a match in Hyderabad, while Uthappa was batting, Symonds went up close to him and ticked the Indian cricketer off badly.

Also Read: When Harbhajan confessed he was a dog of Team India

So we were playing Hyderabad. We were batting and then he spoke to me, ‘Hey monkey, hey monkey’. I looked at him and said, ‘Symo have you had a look in the mirror lately?’” Uthapped guffawed.

The 30-year-old cricketer also spoke about a period of crisis during 2011-12 when he decided to give up cricket and take up a new profession in a different part of the world. He also heaped praise on former India cricketer Pravin Amre and how the Mumbai veteran played a vital role in restructuring Uthappa’s batting module.

Watch the entire video below: