After taking a 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series, Australia failed to replicate their success and lost the second match in Bengaluru. And if that wasn't enough, the foot injury of Mitchell Starc was arguably a major blow for the visiting Australians.

While Starc returned back to Australia to begin his rehabilitation after the second Test, his heated exchange with Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is still fresh in his mind.

© Twitter

Apart from an intense on-field battle for supremacy in the longest format, the exciting series has seen players from both the sides engaging in sledging and banter. Amongst such incidents, one included the Australian fast bowler who was given a cheeky send-off by Ravichandran Ashwin in Bengaluru.

The incident occurred in the 30th over of the second innings when Starc got his off-stump pegged back on a ripper from Ashwin. While his teammates erupted in jubilation, Ashwin tapped his forehead while pointing towards Starc who on his way back to the hut.

Now Mitchell Starc wants to return the favour https://t.co/692qHHsiH0

Ashwin's reaction came after Starc had made an almost similar gesture to Ashwin's Tamil Nadu state teammate Abhinav Mukund, when the latter was treated with some short-pitched deliveries.

© Twitter

Recalling the incident, Starc revealed that he is looking to return the favour to the Indian spinner. “I look forward to bowling to Ashwin in Australia. (I might) take his advice and hit him on the badge,” Starc said.

Apart from Ashwin, Starc also spoke about India's over-aggressive conduct in the series so far. “(The on-field banter has) probably come a lot more from their side than ours. There was a lot made of it before the series and there was so much hype before the series. I think we’ve just gone about the cricket that we have done for a long period of time now,” he said.

“(Australia’s fighting draw in the third Test) shows how we are as a group and the Indians have come hard, it’s almost a defence mechanism for them. We won the first Test match, we (were there) for the challenge, they were scared of us beating them in India the way they’ve been playing “So it was almost like a defence mechanism for them and they obviously came out in the second Test match and performed really, really well and got back in (the series),” he concluded.