Former Australia batsman Michael Hussey feels that the verbal exchange between Virat Kohli, the India captain, and his counterpart Tim Paine was within limits.
Earlier, reacting to Kohli’s celebrations at the fall of Australian wickets in the second Test in Perth, Hussey had said that the India captain “was out of control”.
Hussey said, “It did not go over the top. It was not aggressive or abusive. This is a tough series and you expect the odd thing to be said. It did not get out of hand.
“I thought both players handled it well. It was nipped in the bud before it could escalate. It showed both teams will play tough cricket and they are not going to back down.”
“For me, at the moment I am seeing feel-good actions on the field (from Paine’s team). Their skills are tough and they are not compromising on playing as hard as they can. They are giving a hundred per cent, but if something needs to be said, it is not abusive,” said Hussey.
“You can be aggressive but you still need to respect your opposition and that to me is what the Australian cricket brand is. Maybe we have not always been like that and certainly deserve some criticism for having gone over the top. But in my mind, this team is playing good Australian brand of tough cricket,” he said.
