As if the rivalry between India and Australia on the pitch was not enough, it has spilt over to the media contingent of the two countries.
With the five-match series tied 1-1 after three Tests, all eyes are on the Boxing Day game in Melbourne. However, things got off on a sour note when star Indian batter Virat Kohli confronted an Australian journalist, Nat Yoannidis, for allegedly filming his children without his permission at the Melbourne airport.
Senior Channel Nine sports presenter Tony Jones later slammed Kohli for “berating” the Channel 7 reporter, and called him "nothing but a bully".
Ravindra Jadeja's Hindi press conference
Australian media also slammed the Indian team management for organising a press conference with Ravindra Jadeja on Saturday at the MCG, where he answered the questions in Hindi.
The presser, which was delayed by India's training session, had the all-rounder taking questions from Indian reporters, who asked in Hindi, prompting Jadeja to reply in the same language. The player had to wrap up soon as the Indian team bus was about to depart, leaving the Australian mediapersons high and dry.
Australian press accused Jadeja of refusing to answer questions in English, but the Indian team manager refuted the allegations, saying that he answered in Hindi because the questions were posed to him in Hindi, and that he had to leave before the Aussie journos could engage him.
Following the tension between the two contingents, a match between the Indian and Australian media arranged by Cricket Australia and scheduled to be held on Sunday, was cancelled. The Indian media manager, reportedly, withdrew from the match, prompting others to follow suit. This left the team short of players, resulting in the cancellation.
The fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series begins on Thursday. India won the first Test in Perth by 295 runs, while Australia won in Adelaide by 10 wickets. The third Test at the Gabba ended in a draw.
