Captain Virat Kohli's yapping certain to stay
Virat Kohli is unlikely to rein in his provocative attitude to his Australian opponents when the fourth Test starts at the SCG next week.
After three matches in which Kohli has led India's bid to agitate the Australians, his outstanding form with the bat has given him a licence to continue that confrontational approach.
Kohli's 54 yesterday gave him 499 runs in the series, leaving him just short of becoming the 16th visiting batsman to reach 500 in a series in Australia and the only Indian apart from Rahul Dravid, who compiled 619 runs in four Tests in 2003-04.
And his sharp run-out of Shaun Marsh, who was stranded just a few centimetres short of his first century on home soil, and another spat with veteran Brad Haddin, indicated that Kohli's performances and his prickly demeanour go hand in glove.
Kohli's blood appeared to boil early in his innings when a superb save from David Warner and a mix-up with his partner Murali Vijay left him stranded in the middle of the pitch, only to be reprieved when the fieldsman's off-balance throw was astray to Haddin.
The incident led to Haddin shouting "It's all about you" at Kohli, who responded with the pointed line: "This is your last series, mate."
Warner had earlier said that the intense nature of international cricket meant that heated exchanges between players remained an ever-present part of the game.
"Off the field I think it's always going to be pretty good with the games of cricket we play around the world, but on the field, when you put your international cap on, it's a different story," Warner said.
"Both teams want to win, and they're prepared to do whatever they can to win.
"Stepping over the line is probably not the right way to go about it, letting your bat and ball do the talking is the way to go."
Asked to define the line that players should not cross, Warner said it was up to the umpires and ICC to identify it.
"The line? It is one that you can draw and you don't step over," he said.
"It's just a figure of speech, isn't it? We always say that. But it comes down to the umpires or the ICC fining people.
"There is a line you can't cross, and when you talk about sledging and stuff it can't be anything more than what we're talking about - physical contact or verbally swearing or something like that."
Indian spinner Ravi Ashwin said he was unlikely to match his tempestuous teammate and even provided a veiled criticism of Kohli's approach in complaining after play about what was said to him on the field.
"I am not someone who yaps on the ground," Ashwin said.
"I am not keen in terms of who gives a send-off to who.
"But it has been that kind of series.
"Off the field no one takes it to heart. What happens on the field should end there."
This is your last series, mate. " Virat Kohli
