The ongoing Test series between India and Australia has seen a lot of sledging from Indian captain Virat Kohli. While that is a part of the game, former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy says he has lost respect for the Indian captain and said he could reduce his aggression on the field as it puts a lot of pressure on his teammates.
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There was a lot of sledging on day two of the second Test match in Bengaluru and the exchanges between Kohli and Australian captain Steve Smith included the time when the Indian captain also reminded Australian batsman Matt Renshaw of the "toilet break" he took in the Pune Test.
"The pressure is starting to tell on (Kohli). I'm losing respect for him. He's got to be a lot more respectful of his opponents. The stuff he did with Steve Smith was unacceptable," The Times of India quoted Healy as saying.
While he still regards Kohli as one of the best batsmen he has ever seen, he says his aggression was good for the team when he was not the captain, but now it's just putting a lot of pressure on his players and said there are massive cracks showing in Kohli.
"I've said in the past, he (Kohli) is the best batsman I've ever seen. His feistiness and real aggression towards the opposition has been good (in the past), especially when he was not captain. It would lead his team with him. They're more timid than they look and they let on, the Indian cricketers.
"So Kohli's aggression was good for them. But I think it's not good for them anymore. He's really putting some pressure on (his players). You can read pressure all over Ravi Ashwin's face. I think there are massive cracks showing in (Kohli)," Healy added.
While Healy thinks what Kohli is doing is wrong, another former Australian cricketer in Simon Katich feels that both the teams did not cross the line. He said the tension is obviously high between the two captains and the two teams, but said they handled it really well as things could have gone out of hand.
"I thought both of them handled it extremely well. You could tell there was a lot of emotion out there, India were desperate for wickets. They know Steve Smith is a huge wicket," noted Katich.
"I think Steve Smith handled it well too, he had a bit of a laugh. He took the mickey out of Ishant, Ishant took the mickey out of him. The umpires handled it well. All in all, the captains both deserve a lot of credit because that could have easily gotten out of hand. It could have gotten out of hand but it didn't courtesy of the two captains."
