PTI

Nagpur, Oct 16: Mahendra Singh Dhoni refuses to be drawn into any verbal duel with the Australian cricketers but the host captain believes the visitors have already started a mind game ahead of Team India's visit Down Under later in 2007.

"It seems the Australians have started the mind games now itself for our visit. They have won a series and think they can say whatever they can. But we still have to play under the same sun even in Australia. I don't believe in engaging in verbal duels," he said at a post-match press conference on Sunday after the sixth ODI here.

Symonds has added fuel to his simmering duel with the Indians by describing the ongoing tour as 'hostile' and warning the team of a backlash when it tours Down Under this year.

Symonds, who is engaged in a war of words with the hosts since the seven-match series began, said he knew India was "never an easy place to tour, but I am surprised how hostile it has been".

The all-rounder, on his fifth tour of India, said the 'World Twenty20 champions' still had a lot to prove and were set for a searing summer in Australia.

"They're saying they've built up this new Indian team, but we'll see how much they've changed at the end of our summer," he was quoted as saying by the 'Sunday Telegraph'.

"We have had the edge on them here and we will get them again in Australia this summer. They've beaten us in a Twenty20 game and one one-dayer in four years. You can't gauge much on that, but we'll see how this so-called new Indian team goes on our soil," he said.