It was inevitable, after the ugly scenes at Kochi, that match referee Chris Broad would summon the captains of the two teams and issue them a stern warning about the conduct of their respective colleagues, with the proviso that continued bad behaviour would evoke more censure than just a rap on the knuckles in future.

Ricky Ponting did not play in that game, but as tour captain, he was also invited for a chat by Broad. "The match referee brought both captains in individually, both me and Adam (Gilchrist), and Dhoni went first. He made us know there were a few things he wasn't that pleased about. He added that it was up to the captains to make sure it didn't continue through the series."

At the same time, Ponting sought to downplay the Kochi outbursts. "It is pretty clear to me nobody stepped out of the line. I think both teams were right on the limit and the referee made that pretty clear to us after the game. It is up to us as a playing group and the two captains to make sure everyone is playing in the spirit of the game."
Reacting to Harbhajan Singh's comments in an Australian paper accusing the Aussies of using abusive language, Ponting said, "Good luck to him. He has got plenty to say on the field and whenever someone says something back to him, he is the first to run away from it. We play our cricket in a nice aggressive way. We play within the rules and the spirit of the game."

There go the Aussies again, harping on their own version of the spirit of the game.

"They are the ones who have come out and made all the statements since we've been here, this new India and the new aggressive outlook, the way they are going to play," he remarked, conveniently forgetting that the Indian youngsters were only reacting to his initial taunts that it would be the home side that would be under pressure in this series. "We will go and play the best aggressive cricket we can and leave all the talking to the Indians." One assumes then that he will have more than a word with Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke, for starters.

Ponting continued to portray the belief that the Aussies were purer than the driven snow, and that their reputation as being bad boys was ill-founded. "There has been a lot more made about all the sledging over the years than is necessary. Probably even now, we are adding more fuel than needs to be added. Perception is an amazing thing.

"If we were ever as bad as everyone said we are or had been, then we would have had a lot more Australian players reported. Especially in the last couple of years, I have been on the bench and I don't think anyone has been reported for sledging. Aggression doesn't mean sledging or giving personal barrage, it is having a presence on the field and playing good, aggressive cricket."