As Team India departed for the much-awaited tour of Australia on Thursday, skipper Virat Kohli said that he would want a sledge-free summer in Down Under. However, the Indian captain made it clear that if the Aussies initiate the altercation, the visitors will reciprocate in the same way.

“When it comes to getting engaged in an argument on the field, or in a fight as people want to call it excitedly, I have been completely OK playing without an altercation,” Kohli told a press conference ahead of the team’s departure.

“If they want to play a certain way we will reciprocate in that way, that’s how the game of cricket goes,” he added.

Virat Kohli’s remarks, however, were laughed off by former Australia speedster Mitchell Johnson. Taking to Twitter, Johnson took a jibe at Kohli’s statement and wrote: "I look forward to no Virat send offs".

It is worth mentioning that Kohli had a fierce duel with Mitchell Johnson during the 2014 tour of Australia. During the third Test in Melbourne, Johnson had aimed to hit the stumps but the ball struck Kohli which led to verbal exchanges between the two.

Just like the previous occasion, Johnson’s comment might end up pumping the India captain who boasts a fabulous record on Aussie soil. In 8 Tests Down Under, Kohli has scored 992 runs at an outstanding average of 62 with 5 hundreds and 2 fifties. Moreover, the Indian captain has piled up 1001 runs at 50.05 in 23 ODIs in Australia while he averages a whopping 84 in T20I cricket in Australia with 252 runs from 5 matches.