The previous time the teams met, when Steve Smith’s men toured India, it got ugly, with stares, glares and send-offs aplenty, the mind games in full swing and Kohli all but calling Smith a cheat. On India’s 2014-15 tour to Australia, Kohli was among those who got into verbal spats with Mitchell Johnson and, of course, the Sydney crowd won’t have forgotten him flipping them off back in 2012.

In contrast, the lead up to the first Test in Adelaide starting Thursday, December 6, has been shorn of drama, with both teams making a concerted effort.

An inquiry in the aftermath of the ball-tampering affair criticised Australia’s “winning without counting the costs” attitude, and the team are conscious of that. Plus there’s the realisation that no good can come of riling up someone like Kohli, who lives for a scrap. India, meanwhile, aren’t keen to muddy their best chance of a series win in the country.

But will the good-natured respect last?

Tim Paine, the Australian captain, said his team gave equal importance to winning and setting an example. “We play Test cricket to win, there is no doubt about that,” he said. “Clearly we’ve realised we needed to do some work in some areas, and gaining the respect of our country is as high a priority as is winning.”