Australian veterans Warne & Waugh slam Rishabh Pant's chatter behind stumps; say 'Zip it'

With the battle for the Border Gavaskar Trophy heating up as India faces Australia in the final Test of the series on Friday morning, both the teams gunning for the silverware have never shied away from taking on each other throughout the series. As the series progressed, players from each side have often locked horns in a bid to dominate the other. The third Test at SCG was the most eventful as the stump mic caught constant chatter as the players tried to get under each others' skin. 

Similarly, as India took to the field on Friday morning after Australia chose to bat first at Gabba, the Men in Blue came out all guns blazing. Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant constantly kept motivating the visitors from behind the stumps. However, the Indian gloveman's chatter has not gone down well with Australian veterans, who have expressed sharp criticism against Pant. Former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh remarked that the wicketkeeper should have stopped chattering right before the bowler bowls and called for the umpires to step into such situations. 

READ | Tim Paine Publicly Apologises For Sledging R Ashwin, Lashing Out At Umpires In SCG Test

'Umpire has got to take control'

"I don‘t have a problem with the keeper talking but not when the bowler is about to bowl. You’ve got to zip it then. I think the umpire has got to take some control in these situations. It’s out of the players' hands, the umpires have got to control the game out there. If it starts getting too much or it’s holding up play you’ve got to get the standards right out there if you’re umpiring," Waugh said on-air during the broadcast of the fourth Test for Fox Sports.

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Spin wizard Shane Warne also backed his former teammate Waugh and said that Pant should let the batsman 'concentrate'. "I don’t mind the encouraging and Rishabh Pant has a smile on his face, he’s having a laugh with his teammates around the bat. But if the bowler is starting to come in, that’s the time to just zip it and let the batsman concentrate,” Warne said.

Tim Paine apologizes for SCG stunt

During the third Test at SCG while Ashwin was batting on the final day, Tim Paine and the Indian engaged in a war of words, for which the Australian later issued an apology remarking that he had crossed the line. Paine had quipped that he cannot wait to see Ashwin at the Gabba where the fourth and final match is going to be played. In response, Ashwin said that he cannot wait to see Paine in India which also would be the last series of his career. An angry Paine then sledged R Ashwin back by saying that the Tamil Nadu all-rounder for not having many friends within his own team before swearing at him. Apart from all these, the Australian Test specialist constantly tried to get under the skin of Indian batsmen R Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari by provocative chatter. 

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