Mitchell Starc regards Virat Kohli as a fantastic captain from first-hand experience, while Indian coach Ravi Shastri has described his emotive skipper as "an absolute gentleman".
Kohli's conduct was always going to be a talking point throughout the four-Test series, level at 1-1 after topsy-turvy contests in Adelaide and Perth.
Kohli was a near-constant presence in the headlines during the second Test.
He failed to acknowledge the crowd after a tremendous century, swapped barbs with Tim Paine and shook his counterpart's hand in such perfunctory fashion that it hinted at genuine bad blood.
Former Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson accused the superstar of being "disrespectful", while Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar was highly critical of Kolhi's captaincy.
Starc, who previously shared a dressing room with Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Kohli during the Indian Premier League, has nothing but respect for the combative batsman.
"I've played a couple of IPLs with Virat and he's been fantastic to play under, as a captain," Starc told reporters.
"Obviously, he's a fantastic player.
"The way India play this series and go about their cricket, it's up to them."
Shastri bristled when asked about Kohli's behaviour.
"Fantastic - why, what's wrong with his behaviour?" Shastri said.
"People can question; as far as we're concerned, he's an absolute gentleman."
Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden suggested Kohli was more Australian than Indian in many ways.
"He plays the game in a very-competitive spirit. He is very animated; very passionate; very emotional," Hayden told the Mumbai Mirror.
"A lot of Australians at all levels of sport play the game like that.
"As long as there is a line, and I don't think Virat has crossed that ... everything has remained on the field."
Shastri also had no issue with local broadcasters highlighting a heated exchange between teammates Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja in Perth.
"I'm never surprised by any coverage. Bring it on - it's as simple as that," he said.
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