MM News

SYDNEY: Australian skipper Tim Paine has termed Indian captain Virat Kohli as a polarizing personality in his country, one who the Australians hate but also love to watch him bat.

The Men in Blue are set to face Kangaroos in the four-Test, three ODIs and three T20I series, set to begin from November 27. Kohli will lead just the first Test before he returns home to be with his wife who is expecting their first baby in January.

“I get asked a log of questions about Virat Kohli, he is just another player to me it does not really bother me. There is not really a relationship there with him to be fair, I see him at the toss and play against him and that’s about it,” Paine told international sports channel.

The Australian skipper further said that Virat Kohli’s case was a unique one for Australia cricket fans where they love to hate him but also love to watch him bat. “With Virat, it is a funny one,” he added.

“We love to hate him, but we also love to watch him bat as cricket fans. He certainly is polarising in that type of scenario. We love watching him bat, but we don’t like seeing him score too many runs,” he remarked.

Tim Paine also accepted that animosity between them the two but also believes that such exchange of words happen due to the intensity of the games. “Australia and India, it’s a heated competition and he’s obviously a competitive person and so am I,” Paine said.

Kohli and Paine have been involved in a heated exchange in the past, especially during the 2018-19 series where the visitors became the first Asian side to win a Test series Down Under.

“So yeah, there were a few occasions when we had words but that wasn’t because he was the captain and I was the captain – it could have been anyone. It’s often the best player is the one that your team goes up a little bit, the intensity goes up when the best players in the world come out to the crease,” he concluded.