Australian cricket skipper Steve Smith has criticised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for publishing a video of an on-field verbal stoush involving him, Matthew Wade and Ravindra Jadeja.
The BCCI posted the footage, complete with stump-microphone recordings, on its website and social media channels. Some of the sledging was broadcast on Star Sports during play, but not all of it.
Players around the world have long harboured concerns about stump mics.
Protocol dictates they are turned down between balls. Broadcasters generally oblige and ensure most conversations on the field stay on the field.
It is highly unusual for a cricket board to publish a clip of verbals, as the BCCI did after day three of the Test series decider.
"I was a little bit disappointed that the BCCI sieved through the archive to find a conversation out on the field that was happening between Matty and Jadeja," Smith said.
"It's happened between both sides throughout this series. Usually what's said on the field should stay on the field.
"It's been a hard-fought series and guys are going to say things here and there. Their emotions are going to be high, so they should be in such a big series."
Australia, who were also miffed in the third Test when Star Sports perpetuated a myth that Smith mocked Virat Kohli's shoulder injury, are not going to lodge a formal complaint.
Jadeja top-scored in India's first innings with a knock of 63 in Dharamsala, where he was named man of the match and man of the series.
Wade needled the allrounder about his love of selfies on Instagram then started probing Jadeja about his struggles to get a game on India's tour of the West Indies last year.
"How come you don't get picked outside India? Why is that? Why don't you get picked?" Wade said.
Smith quipped during Jadeja's game-changing dig that 'this'll be his last Test for a while, they're going away".
"You don't deserve to play anywhere but here because you're useless," Smith barked.
Jadeja recently became the top-ranked Test bowler on the International Cricket Council's charts. He finished as the leading wicket-taker of the series with 25 scalps.
Jadeja helped push India to a point where they had complete control of the series decider.
Jadeja, nicknamed 'Rockstar' by Rajasthan teammate Shane Warne during the inaugural Indian Premier League season in 2008 because of his immense confidence, laughed off the incident.
"Nothing happened. You know and I know what's happens on the ground in these situations. I was just telling Wade that we will meet and have dinner once you guys have lost the Test," he told reporters after play on day three.
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