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The running battle between Mitchell Starc and Shane Warne has continued, with the former saying he 'may as well retire' if he keeps listening to the legspinner.

Australian spearhead Mitchell Starc has returned serve to Shane Warne, claiming he "may as well retire" if he listens to the outspoken cricketing legend.

Starc's performance in Australia's series-opening loss to India attracted plenty of criticism but Warne was comfortably the loudest and most severe.

In a News Corp column, Warne had described Starc's bowling with the second new ball in Adelaide as atrocious, suggesting the left-armer would face the axe if he failed to fire in Perth.

It wasn't the first time Warne fired a shot at Starc, having memorably called him "soft" four years ago while critiquing the express paceman's body language.

"I still don't know what he said," Starc claimed on Fox Cricket.

"I've been told about it but, if I keep listening to Warney, I may as well retire.

"I'll just keep going about my stuff, as I have done over the week."

Starc captured 2-79 in India's first innings of the second Test, his first wicket coming when he skittled Murali Vijay's stumps to dismiss the opener for a duck.

Skipper Tim Paine's pre-match suggestion that Starc would be fired up to respond on a lively Perth Stadium deck quickly proved to be on the money, with the left-armer celebrating Vijay's dismissal passionately.

"I think the criticism he's come under this week has been pretty unfair, to be honest," Paine said.

"He swung the ball in Adelaide, which he didn't do in the UAE.

"One thing I know about Starcy is when he cops a bit of criticism, normally he takes it pretty personally and that sometimes gets the best out of him."