Symonds is a lovely guy: Harbhajan

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It seems as if the most bitter feud in world cricket is over with Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds calling a truce.

Putting behind the infamous 'Monkeygate' scandal, Harbhajan told 'The Sunday Mail': "I think Andrew Symonds is a lovely guy."

Both Harbhajan and Symonds play for the Indian Premier League side Mumbai Indians and the 'Turbanator' said that while sharing the same dressing room he had realised that the Aussie is a good person.

"I have played with him at the Mumbai Indians and I found out he is a really good guy. Me and Symo do not have any problems at all and we get on very well. I understand him now and I think he understands me," insisted Harbhajan, who is not in India Test team for the upcoming series against Australia.

"I am really happy he is enjoying his life and all I want is the very best for him. I know some people have said that we don't get on too well. We had some problems but that is all in the past. We are friends. We played well together for Mumbai," he added.

Harbhajan and Symonds collided in 2008 at the Sydney Cricket Ground when the Indian allegedly called the later a monkey during a hot-blooded Test.

India threatened to quit the tour after Harbhajan was suspended for three matches but it was averted when the International Cricket Council overturned the ban.

Symonds though still feels let down by Cricket Australia that failed to back him but has no issues with Harbhajan anymore.

Reluctant to speak much about the Monkeygate episode, Harbhajan admitted that he and Symonds were influenced by factors beyond their control.

"Whatever happened, it probably would have been dealt with straight away, but it got picked up by the media and it really got out of control from there," Harbhajan told the newspaper.

"I think people have to stop thinking about what happened back then, that is in the past. It was all very confusing and a big thing back then but, as I say, that was back then. I want to talk about now, and the future, and there is no problem at all with Symonds and me," he added.

Meanwhile, Symonds' manager Matt Fearon has also confirmed that the two are friends now. "The way Andrew describes it, they are actually pretty similar animals," Fearon said.

"They are very, very competitive cricketers and when you put them on different teams, there was bound to be a flare-up.

"But when they have been on the same team in the IPL they really enjoy each other's company," he added.

Reluctant to speak much about the Monkeygate episode, Harbhajan admitted that he and Symonds were influenced by factors beyond their control.

"Whatever happened, it probably would have been dealt with straight away, but it got picked up by the media and it really got out of control from there," Harbhajan told the newspaper.

"I think people have to stop thinking about what happened back then, that is in the past. It was all very confusing and a big thing back then but, as I say, that was back then. I want to talk about now, and the future, and there is no problem at all with Symonds and me," he added.

Meanwhile, Symonds' manager Matt Fearon has also confirmed that the two are friends now.

"The way Andrew describes it, they are actually pretty similar animals," Fearon said. "They are very, very competitive cricketers and when you put them on different teams, there was bound to be a flare-up."

"But when they have been on the same team in the IPL they really enjoy each other's company," he added.