Asserting that sledging cannot help teams win matches, former India batsman Krishnamachari Srikkanth has rubbished Michael Clarke's claims that the Australian team were being nice to Virat Kohli's men during the 2018/19 Test series Down Under. "You do not win matches just by sledging. Aussie's loss is a loss, his (Clarke) statement was ridiculous I would say," Srikkanth said while speaking on Star Sports 'Cricket Connected' show. "If you ask Nasser Hussain or Sir Vivian Richards who are experienced players, you can never score runs or get wickets through sledging.

"You need to play good cricket and showcase determination; you need to bowl well to get wickets and bat well to achieve targets. Sledging cannot help in any way according to my opinion," he added. Clarke had also said current Australian players were too scared to "sledge" Kohli and in order to protect their million dollars IPL deals, they "sucked up" to the India captain which resulted in their cricket becoming "soft".