On Wednesday, former Indian opener, Kris Srikkanth called former Australian skipper Michael Clarke’s statement that the Australian cricketers sucked up to the Indian skipper Virat Kohli ”ridiculous” and said that sledging cannot win you matches. Clarke also alleged the Australian players of going soft with Kohli because of their IPL contracts.

During a show on Star Sports, Srikkanth said, “You do not win matches just by sledging. Aussie”s loss is a loss, his (Clarke) statement was ridiculous I would say. If you ask Nasser Hussain or Sir Vivian Richards who are experienced players, you can never score runs or get wickets through sledging. You need to play good cricket and showcase determination; you need to bowl well to get wickets and bat well to achieve targets. Sledging cannot help in any way according to my opinion.”

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Meanwhile, disagreeing with Clarke, former India cricketer VVS Laxman, who was known for producing memorable knocks against Australia said you cannot get an IPL contract just bu being nice to a certain player.

Laxman had said, “Just by being nice to someone doesn’t get you a place in IPL. Any franchise will look at the player’s calibre and value add to the team, which gives them desired results by winning matches/tournaments. These are the kind of players who get IPL contracts. So just being nice to someone will not earn you a spot in the IPL.”

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Kohli and his men had become the first-ever Indian team to went on to win a Test series in Australia in 2018-19. It was the first time since 1947, that India was able to register a Test series victory in Down Under as they defeated Tim Paine and his men 2-1 in the four-match rubber.

Meanwhile, the ICC has put all cricketing action on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.