Australia may have comprehensively beaten Team India in the third Test in Indore, but a shocking “cheating” scandal has hit them hard. Even pundits like Harsha Bhogle suggested that Steve Smith and his men might have used a loophole in the sport's rules to their advantage, which amounted to “cheating”.

Their sportsmanship was under the microscope at the Holkar Stadium after the Kangaroos deployed very strange tactics to review the decisions of the on-field umpires without taking a DRS.

Whenever the ball passed the bat from a close range and was collected by the Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey, he would dislodge the bails, and skipper Steve Smith fielding in the slip cordon would appeal for a stumping.

The players of the Australian cricket team were aware that if the on-field umpire signaled the television umpire to check for stumping, the latter was bound to check for all other ways of dismissals, including LBW and caught behind.

As Australia sought to exploit this gap in the rules of cricket in the third Test against India in Madhya Pradesh, it left the fans and pundits angered, including noted expert Harsha Bhogle and former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel.

Reacting to the uncanny tactics of Steve Smith and his boys, Parthiv Patel said that the umpires should have kept a close watch on the Australian side and not fallen into the trap set for them.

“Steve Smith is aware of that and he exploited the loophole. The on-field umpire should avoid going to the third umpire if he is sure that it's not out when there is an appeal for a stumping,” Pathiv Patel told Cricbuzz.

“The ideal solution is that the TV umpire should only review the stumping if the appeal is made only for a stumping. A caught behind should not be checked unless the fielding captain opts for a review,” the former India wicketkeeper added.

“The umpires have to find a way to see through the tactic of a keeper taking the bails off and asking for a stumping so that they get to check the edge without wasting a review,” Harsha Bhogle tweeted.

Even Team India's admirers noticed Australia's unsportsmanlike conduct and raised questions about the same on social media.

“Australia being clever with DRS. Either they are not using it, or referring to square leg umpire via stumping to save reviews. Did this latter bit in Delhi too when they had lost all three,” an Indian supporter posted on Twitter.

“Very funny that Australia (long considered the worst users of DRS) have become the best at exploiting this stumping loophole,” another added.

“Rule/protocol change incoming. Australia are completely overdoing the stumping as DRS mechanism. Square-leg umpires are just going to watch stumpings more clearly and not send the decision to the TV umpire,” a third commented.

“This rule should be changed. Stumping checks shouldn't include caught-behind reviews by default. It's a waste of time and effectively a free review,” a fourth said.

Meanwhile, the legendary Ian Chappell launched a scathing attack on Rohit Sharma and Team India despite Australia's victory over the home side in the third Test in Indore on Friday.

India suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of stand-in Australian skipper Steve Smith's team in Madhya Pradesh. The visitors won by nine wickets, giving the series the much-needed spark after the hosts registered comprehensive triumphs in the first two games in Nagpur and Delhi.

Ian Chappel's harsh words for Rohit Sharma and the Indian cricket team were in the context of Holkar Stadium's pitch, which was rated poor by the International Cricket Council as the Test match got over in two and half days.

Accusing the Indian think tank comprising Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid of instructing the curators for preparing certain kinds of pitches, which help spin bowlers from the word go, Ian Chappell fired at them for doing so.

Ian Chappell went as far as to say that Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid had no right to offer their inputs to the groundsmen to produce a particular wicket.

The former Australia player's comments came after India's move to have an ultra-spinning track in Indore backfired, with the visiting team's slow bowlers running through the home side's batting order.

While Nathan Lyon, Australia's premier spinner, picked up an eight-wicket haul in the second innings and scalped eleven in the match, young Matthew Kuhnemann grabbed a fifer in the first essay, registering sensational figures 5/16.

“India need to see the error of their ways. I've talked before about trying to prepare pitches that suit India… have India forgotten that they won the last two series in Australia? I go back to it again, what the hell are administrators, players, coaches, anybody outside the curator (doing?). Why the hell are they having an input for the pitch? It should be left to the curator, let him produce a pitch that he thinks is a good one. Let the players play on it,” Ian Chappell told on ESPNCricinfo.

The former Australia captain added that the Rohit Sharma-led side dearly missed the services of Rishabh Pant, who is currently out of action due to a life-threatening accident he suffered in December last year.

“I've no sympathy for India if they have been asking for certain surfaces. If they ask one for the next Test, you hope the curator just tells them to mind their own business. The Indians need to shut up and get on with the cricket. Really, have they forgotten how they won in Australia? With good all-round cricket. Bear in mind, one of the big differences is there's no Rishabh Pant in this Indian side. They're now starting to see how important he is to them,” Ian Chappell added.

The fourth and final Test match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad from March 9.

India's squad for fourth Test against Australia: Rohit Sharma (Captain), K L Rahul, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, KS Bharat (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat.