It's an art and they are good at it, but the Indians will learn soon"- When MS Dhoni took sarcastic dig at Australia's provoking act
Australian cricketers have exhibited more than just their skills on the field over the years. Their ability to provoke opposition players and prevent them from focusing on the task at hand has made them a dominant force in world cricket.
One such moment transpired during India's controversy-filled 2007-08 tour down under. After a closely fought and often ugly Test series finished at 2-1 in favor of the hosts, Team India fought back in the tri-nation ODI series (CB series).
After the two teams exchanged wins in their first two round robin meetings, a high-scoring thriller was on offer in the second-to-last game of the league stage. While Australia prevailed by 18 runs, former all-rounder Andrew Symonds provoked Team India pacer Ishant Sharma into a fiery reaction after dismissing him.
However, the latter was hit with a 15 percent fine of his match fee after the game, resulting in Dhoni taking a sarcastic dig at the Australians.
He said as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
"It's (provoking) an art and they are good at it, but the Indians will learn soon. It's (provocation) been going on for a long time. We have to be careful about it and if they provoke us we need to mind what we say. Ishant just reacted to what Symonds said. Cricket can never be friendly. As long as the rivalry never crosses the line it's fine."
Despite accepting the charges against Ishant, the Indian management requested match referee Jeff Crowe to speak to the Australian players about their provocative behavior.
MS Dhoni-led India pulled off a sensational win over Australia in the CB Series final
Despite finishing second on the points table in the tri-nation CB series behind Australia, Team India avenged their Test series defeat in the final.
In a best-of-three final, the Men in Blue won the first two games in Sydney and Brisbane to stun the Aussies and lift the trophy.
India successfully chased 240 in the first final with over four overs to spare, thanks to Sachin Tendulkar's brilliant unbeaten century. The Little Master was again at it in the second final, scoring a well-paced 91 to help India reach a competitive 258/9 in 50 overs.
They bowled Australia out for 249 in the second innings to clinch the CB series title.