Melbourne: Describing Virat Kohli as an "amazing player", South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has advised Australia to give the Indian captain “silent treatment” during their series starting later this month.

Du Plessis on Friday said that his team gave India captain Kohli the "silent treatment" in an attempt to keep him quiet when the two teams squared off earlier this year.

"There are guys like that in international cricket (who enjoy the confrontation). We feel like that when we play against someone like Virat Kohli, he wants to get into the fight," du Plessis said.

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Du Plessis' South Africa beat India 2-1 in the series but Kohli emerged as the top run-getter with an aggregate of 286 from three Tests at an average of 47.66.

"There are one or two guys in each team around the world that we as a team discuss before playing against them. We're like, 'better not say too much to him because you'll get him going'." 

Kohli has been in imperious form throughout the year. The world no 1 Test batsman notched up 593 runs against England in the five-match series and followed that up with three back-to-back hundreds against the West Indies in the One-day International series.

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Du Plessis said, "He's an amazing player. We gave him the silent treatment and he still scored runs in South Africa, but we felt like it was not huge runs he scored the one hundred there in Centurion when the wicket was slow. So every team will have what they think works for us, that was silent treatment.”

Before their departure to Australia, Kohli had said he will play against the Aussies “without altercation”.

"I think that's (no sledging policy) a very personal thing for them. But when it comes to getting engaged in an argument on the field or a fight as people want to call it excitedly, I have been completely ok with playing without the altercation," Kohli told reporters at the pre-departure press conference on Thursday.

Kohli, once criticised for his overtly aggressive behaviour said that he has passed that phase in his career and more matured as an individual.

"I am very happy within my own space, so on a personal level, I don't find any need to go and find these things anymore. I mean, I have enough belief in my abilities. I can play without a reason to pump myself up and those are very immature things that I used to feel during the early days of my career," the skipper said.

(With inputs from PTI)