Perth
Former Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson slammed India captain Virat Kohli, describing his behaviour as “disrespectful” and “silly” during the second Test here. Kohli and Australia captain Tim Paine were involved in a series of heated exchanges, which at one point prompted umpire Chris Gaffaney to step in to dissolve the tension. However, once the second Test ended with Australia beating India by 146 runs, both the captains played down the issue, saying no line was crossed.

But Johnson was extremely critical of Kohli’s behaviour during the Test. “At the end of the match, you should be able to look each other in the eyes, shake hands and say ‘great contest’,” he wrote in a column for Fox Sports. “Virat Kohli could not do that with Tim Paine, shaking the Australian captain’s hand but barely making eye contact with him. To me, that is disrespectful.

“Kohli gets away with more than most cricketers simply because he is Virat Kohli and he gets placed on a pedestal but this Test left the Indian captain looking silly,” he wrote.Johnson said that Kohli didn’t keep his words after making pre-series claims that he won’t initiate any confrontations. “Kohli has contradicted the things he said at the start of the series.