After the news came through earlier today that the former Australian batsman Andrew Symonds passed away in a car accident, the reactions came from all quarters and the Indian leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal also remembered Symonds in a very emotional tribute paid to him on Twitter.
Yuzvendra Chahal fondly used to call Symonds his “uncle” and in a Twitter post today, Chahal revealed that when the two of them were together at Mumbai Indians, Symonds used to spend hours sitting with him, talking to him, and guiding him on various matters. He was not just a colleague to him, he was so close to him that he had become like a family member to him.
When Andrew Symonds and Chahal were at Mumbai Indians together, Symonds was an overseas superstar and Chahal was largely an unknown domestic talent who would often have to warm the bench, as Mumbai already had a settled lineup.
A junior player in that kind of an environment often needs guidance and Chahal’s post suggests that Symonds provided him every bit of that guidance with the world of experience that he had gained over the years on the international circuit.
Yuzvendra Chahal, after moving from Mumbai Indians to RCB, later turned out to be an IPL legend and RCB’s all-time highest wicket-taker.
Today I have lost my closest man.
You were just not a colleague
My family, my man
My symonds uncle ❤️ I will miss you terribly
RIP 🙏🏻💔 pic.twitter.com/5BvliutC8fAdvertisement— Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) May 15, 2022
The whole cricket world is mourning the passing of Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds is the second great Aussie cricketer who has passed away in recent times, after the great Shane Warne passed away a few weeks ago, away from home. It’s a tragic period not just for Aussie cricket, but for the world cricket community altogether.
Symonds was an entertainer in all three formats of the game because of his hard-hitting ability and he was also an outstanding performer in the initial years of the IPL. He had a huge role to play in the Deccan Chargers’ title triumph in the second year of the IPL in South Africa in 2009.
