Clash of the captains
Tim Paine and Virat Kohli have wasted no time resuming hostilities in Perth, prompting a stern rebuke from New Zealand umpire Chris Gaffaney.
Having engaged in a verbal battle late on day three of the second test, Australia and India’s respective captains again squabbled during yesterday morning’s session.
Kohli squared up to Paine while the Australian was completing a run and stump microphones picked up Gaffaney demanding the two behave themselves.
‘‘That’s enough . . . play the game,’’ Gaffaney said.
‘‘You boys are the captains. Play the game.’’ Paine defended himself. ‘‘There’s no swearing,’’ he said. But Gaffaney reminded the skippers of their roles.
‘‘You’re the captain, Tim,’’ Gaffaney responded.
An increasingly fired-up Kohli pleaded his case to square-leg umpire Kumar Dharmasena as Paine and Usman Khawaja continued to extend Australia’s second innings lead.
Former Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson revealed what Kohli was saying.
‘‘Speaking to a couple of the boys, Virat was going to the umpire and telling the umpire that ‘Tim Paine is talking to me. Can you tell him to stop?’ That type of thing,’’ Johnson told Fox Cricket.
‘‘Which I find quite interesting with what happened yesterday.’’
Damien Fleming said it was a sign Kohli was ‘‘starting to lose it’’.
Former test captain Ricky Ponting said on Seven he had no issue with the exchanges, noting nothing aggressive or explicit had been detected.
Paine’s fighting knock was brought to an end on 37 when he gloved a rising Mohammed Shami delivery to Kohli to slip.
Kohli could hardly contain his joy as he gobbled up the catch, with Paine looking back at India’s celebrations as he walked from the field.
Australia were eventually all out for 243, setting India 287 to win.
Tensions had bubbled on day three when Kohli and team-mates appealed vociferously for a caught-behind appeal in the final over, desperate to dismiss Paine.
It was turned down and India had no interest in reviewing but stump microphones picked up Kohli having a dig at his counterpart.
‘‘If he messes it up, it’s 2-0,’’ Kohli said, referencing the series lead he is so determined to win at Optus Stadium. Paine replied: ‘‘You’ve got to bat first, big head.’’ Kohli and Paine continued to exchange words as they walked towards their respective dressing rooms.
‘‘Tim just asked him where he was going for dinner,’’ Nathan Lyon said.
‘‘I’ve played enough cricket against Virat to know what he’s like.
‘‘Virat’s Virat. Virat Kohli is a great player. He plays on emotion.
‘‘I’m not worried about what he’s doing or India’s doing.’’