Aussie media lays into 'classless' Virat Kohli

The Australian media’s latest rant against Kohli comes after the Indian captain had said that he no longer considered the Australian players his friends during his post-series press conference. The Aussie papers have taken offense to Kohli declining an invitation from the Australian team to have a drink at the end of the series. Sydney's Daily Telegraph ran a headline which read, "Virat Kohli had to shake hands and move on after series win but he acted like a child." They also called Kohli an “egomaniac”.

Another headline read, "Beergate: Kohli's latest classless act". The Australian’s Peter Lalor wrote, "If there were any doubts about the poor spirit between the Indian and Australian sides it was confirmed after the series when the home side shunned a suggestion the two sides drink together."

Kohli’s behavior has once again been compared to his counterpart Steve Smith by the Aussie media by The Herald Sun journalist Russell Gould, who wrote "All Virat Kohli had to do was say sorry. Steve Smith did."

Kohli has been Australia’s public enemy no.1 ever since he stopped just short of calling Steve Smith a cheat after the infamous DRS-gate during the second Test in Bangalore. In an attempt to reconcile the situation Smith reached out to India’s stand-in skipper for the fourth Test Ajinkya Rahane, with an offer for beer, at the end of the fourth Test- the offer was declined. Smith said, "I asked if he wanted us to come in for a drink, this being the end of the series. He said he'd get back to me. With Ajinkya, we get on well."

Cricket Australia chairman David Peever also praised Smith for his “gracious” demeanor throughout the series saying, "Cricket at this level is highly competitive, and it is incumbent on all involved, players and administrators, to honour the protocols and standards of behavior that underpin the spirit of cricket."