England pacer Ollie Robinson’s seemingly verbal abuse aimed at Australia opener Usman Khawaja has been one of the highlights of the ongoing first Ashes Test at Edgbaston.

During the third day’s play, Robinson dismissed Khawaja for 141 runs and when the latter made his way back to the pavilion, the former was seen exchanging words with him.

After the close of play on Day 3, Robinson opened up on the incident, saying that he acted impulsively.

"It's my first home Ashes and to get the big wicket at the time was special for me," Robinson said in a press conference. "I think Ussie played unbelievably well. And to get that wicket for us at the time as a team was massive."

"And I think we all want that theatre of the game, don't we? So I'm here to provide it,” he added.

"I don't really care how it's perceived to be honest. It's the Ashes, it's professional sport. If you can't handle that, what can you handle?"

Asked if abusing opponents was part of the theatre, Robinson replied: "No, it's not but I think when you're in heat of the moment and you have the passion of the Ashes that can happen. I think we've all seen Ricky Ponting, other Aussies do the same to us. So just because the shoe's on the other foot, it's not received well."

Ollie Robinson’s words to Usman Khawaja might land him in trouble with match referee Andy Pycroft but the England speedster refused to comment on it.

"I'm not going to comment on that," the 29-year-old remarked.

Coming to the Ashes 2023 opener, England bundled out Australia for 386 to take a meagre 7-run lead in the first innings. Besides Khawaja’s century, Alex Carey (66) and Travis Head (50) slammed fifties for the tourists.

For England, Robinson (3-55) and Stuart Broad (3-68) claimed three wickets each while Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes and James Anderson shared the remaining four scalps among them.

At stumps on Day 3, England were at 28/2, extending their second innings lead to 35 runs with Ollie Pope (0*) and Joe Root (0*) unbeaten in the middle.

(With AFP Inputs)