On field banter has come a lot more from India than Australia, says Mitchell Starc

Injured Australia pacer Mitchell Starc on Tuesday directed another verbal barb towards India, stating that the Virat Kohli-led team was engaging more in on-field banter than the visitors.

Starc, who has returned to Australia after suffering a stress fracture in his right foot, claimed that India were engaging in on-field banter as a ‘defence mechanism’ as they were scared of being beaten by Australia.

During the series, Starc was involved in a heated exchange with R Ashwin after tapping his forehead in a hostile gesture towards Abhinav Mukund. Ashwin had returned the favour by making similar gesture after bowling him the Australian out in the second innings.

“(The on-field banter has) probably come a lot more from their side than ours,” Starc told Fox Sports. “There was a lot made of it before the series and there was so much hype before the series. I think we’ve just gone about the cricket that we have done for a long period of time now.

“(Australia’s fighting draw in the third Test) shows how we are as a group and the Indians have come hard, it’s almost a defence mechanism for them.”

There has been plenty of tension between the two sides, during fiercely contested series that currently rests at 1-1. With skippers Virat Kohli and Steve Smith leading the way with both on-field and off-field verbal duels.

“We won the first Test match, we (were there) for the challenge, they were scared of us beating them in India the way they’ve been playing. So it was almost like a defence mechanism for them and they obviously came out in the second Test match and performed really, really well and got back in (the series).”

‘Virat Kohli has become the Donald Trump of world sport’

The Australian media has also not minced words while covering the controversies surrounding the ongoing series. The Daily Telegraph took a dig at Kohli on Tuesday, comparing him to abrasive US president Donald Trump.

“Virat Kohli has become the Donald Trump of world sport. Just like President Trump, Kohli decided to blame the media as a means of trying to hide the egg smeared right across his face,” read the article.

“The Indian captain is a law unto himself with no one – not even the ICC or his own board – holding him accountable for his continual perpetuation of fake news,” it added.