Thread by @cricBC

Thread....

It's easy for British press to dismiss Kohli's team as uncouth. Only if they hadn't seen the same team playing and losing the WTC final, a game with so much riding on it, fair and square without flaring up any tensions with the well mannered Kiwis.

No. This is a team of counter punchers. They bully the street bullies, and they greet the friendly neighbours with smile. If you try to hurt their pride, they would rally and make you pay. From Paine going after Ashwin to England going after Bumrah, there is a pattern.

And no, this didn't just happen under Kohli. Remember Zaheer Khan getting livid watching jelly beans at the crease and telling KP, he would shove that bat to where the sun don't shine. That team imbibed the same spirit of not being the instigators dishing it back of provoked.

This is also a throwback to an understated Kumble hurting Aussie pride in his presser after the SCG loss of 2008 stating "Only one team was playing in the spirit of the game" and then rallying back at Perth to stage a memorable Test victory. Same counter punch, different method.

Those teams lacked the firepower and depth to back their counter punches and hit them where it hurt most. Kohli's team lead by Shastri and Kohli are now masters of mind games when it comes to harnessing the siege mentality when under fire.

This isn't Steve Waugh's mental disintegration though. This isn't tactical. They don't plan before the series on who to target and how to insult. They are driven by pure adrenaline and that's why they are so much more fun to watch.

And while the fast bowlers and slip fielders with their chest puffed chirp things into batsmen's ears, the goal is not mental disintegration. They aren't satisfied with that. For them it's about pride, it's personal. They won't stop at anything short of complete submission.