Virat Kohli seems to have left an indelible mark on Australian Test captain Tim Paine, who says he will “always remember” the Indian skipper for being the world’s best batsman, capable of also getting under the opposition’s skin with his competitiveness.
Tim Paine praises Virat Kohli
Kohli and Paine have had a fiery rivalry which goes back to India’s 2018-19 tour of Australia. Their on-field spats were an interesting sub-plot during the historic showdown in which India became the first Asian country to win a Test series Down Under.
“For Virat Kohli, I’ve said many times, he seems the type of player you would love to have on your team,” Paine said on the Gilly and Goss podcast. “He is competitive, he is the best batsman in the world.”
Paint further added that Kohli is a player he will never forget. “He is challenging to play against and he can get under your skin because he is so good and he is so competitive. But yeah, for me from where I came from, sharing a feud with him four years ago, He is certainly someone I will always remember,” he said.
Clarifying his comments on the Indian team creating distractions, Paine said it was one of the several things he had commented on and that he credited the tourists for simply outplaying them in the series.
“I did say that they simply outplayed us and that they deserved to win but they left that one out. The Indian fans have been slamming me on social media. They say that I’m making excuses again but it’s all good fun,” Paine said.
Paine had recently caused a flutter by stating that the Australian team was distracted by the Indian team’s “niggling” during this year’s series. Paine had to clarify that he wasn’t making excuses for the loss after drawing criticism for his comments.
