A war of words has erupted with Travis Head firing back at Sunil Gavaskar's comments.
Australia's star left-hander expressed surprise over Gavaskar's views about Josh Hazlewood's injury, dismissing them as an attempt to stir unnecessary tension.
Hazlewood, ruled out of the second Test in Adelaide due to a side strain, had earlier raised eyebrows with remarks at a press conference that seemed to hold the batters accountable for Australia's collapse in the first Test.
Hazlewood was a standout performer in the series opener, taking 5/57 across both innings.
Despite his efforts, Australia suffered a crushing 295 run defeat in Perth.
Following the loss, Hazlewood hinted at the batters' responsibility for the defeat, fuelling speculation of discord in the Australian camp.
Gavaskar suggested the pacer's exclusion from the second Test could be linked to his comments rather than the reported side strain.
'The panic in the Australian ranks is palpable, with former players calling for heads to roll and some even hinting at cracks in the team after Hazlewood's media interview at the end of the third day's play, where he suggested that it was up to the batters to now do something,' Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar magazine.
'Now, a few days later, Hazlewood is out of the second Test and possibly the series with a supposed side strain. Strange, that, since nobody noticed anything wrong with Hazlewood at that media conference. Mystery, mystery -- the like of which used to be common in Indian cricket in the past. Now, it's the Aussies, and like Old McDonald, I'm simply loving it,' Gavaskar added.
Reacting to these remarks, Travis Head called them 'funny' and played down the controversy during an appearance on The Willow Talk podcast.
'I was surprised at Sunny's comments. They were pretty funny. Dropping 'Hoff' (Hazlewood) and throwing a couple of daggers and shooting across the bow, but who cares? It is what it is. Everyone is paid to have an opinion,' Head said.
Aaron Finch also dismissed Gavaskar's claims as over-the-top.
'It's not jabs anymore. Sunny is throwing haymakers over the top,' the retired cricketer. said. 'It's quite funny because, having spent a lot of time with him during the first Test, he was very respectful of the current Australian group. But now he has just gone bang,' Finch told ESPNcricinfo.
Despite the controversy, the Australians remain focused on the ongoing series against India. With Hazlewood out of the second Test, the team will look to their other bowlers to turn the series around.
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