Australian media critical of Laxman's Phil Hughes comparison

Laxman had criticized Glen Maxwell for mocking Kohli's injury after saving a boundary when Kohli came on strike. Laxman did not appreciate the imitation and made it a point to criticize the Australian batsman. However, the controversy arose when Laxman compared Kohli's injury to that of Phil Hughes, who had passed away on the field after being hit by a bouncer. 

"Glen Maxwell and Steve Smith, what example is he setting for his team? That's very disappointing. You can sledge it's fine but not mocking someone who is injured, in pain", an annoyed Laxman said during the tea break on the 3rd day in Ranchi.

"I've never experienced that because when you are injured, you always care for the opposition player as well. Especially after what happened to Phil Hughes, everyone is concerned when someone gets injured. Whether he gets hit on the helmet or is injured, there is a concern. You play the game a hard way but the spirit of the game should be there. This is defying the spirit of the game," he further stated.

The Australian media picked this up and lashed out at Laxman. The Daily Telegraph termed the former Indian batsman's comments as an "ill-informed attack on Smith's leadership" and described the Hughes reference as unfortunate saying, "unfortunately bringing up the Hughes family into a non-issue".

RealSport101.com and SportingNews.com were among the other outlets that hit out at Laxman for his remarks. The news headline of the article on Laxman's comments read "VVS Laxman disgracefully references Philip Hughes during attack on Australia". Moreover, SportingNews.com termed the remarks as "misguided rant" and "insensitive reference".