Tim Paine, Virat Kohli
Tim Paine, Virat Kohli. Image-Twitter

Tim Paine, Australia’s Test captain, remains in awe of Virat Kohli and wishes that the “best batsman in the world” had been on his team, notwithstanding the presence of Steve Smith in his side, too.

Tim Paine speaks about the Indian skipper’s in-your-face attitude, his competitive and ultra-aggressive nature – resembling the way the Australians carry themselves on the field.

Virat Kohli is regarded as one of the greatest to pick up the bat – his records show the same. His Test average of 48.05 against Australia is remarkable; it gets better, at an elite level, when he travels Down Under: 54.08 with 6 centuries and 4 fifties.

Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli. Image Source: Reuters

Under Kohli, India registered its first-ever Test series triumph in Australia in 2018/19. The Aussie skipper also remembers his altercations with Kohli in the same series.

“For Virat Kohli, I’ve said many times, he seems the type of player you would love to have on your team. He is competitive, he is the best batsman in the world. 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,” Tim Paine said on the “Gilly and Goss” podcast.

Team India very good at creating sideshows: Tim Paine

Tim Paine has recently faced severe backlash from all quarters for his remarks on Team India and the series which the hosts lost.

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Recently, Paine said the visitors created “sideshows” and distracted the Aussies’ focus away from the game when the Indian players refused to travel to Brisbane if the Queensland government subjected them to quarantine. His remarks have been mocked and criticized by Indian fans and some former cricketers.

Tim Paine, Australia
Tim Paine [Image Credit: Getty]

“Part of the challenge of playing against India is they’re very good at niggling you and trying to distract you with stuff that doesn’t really matter and there were times in that series where we fell for that,” Tim Paine was quoted news.com.au as saying.

“The classic example was when they said they weren’t going to the Gabba so we didn’t know where we were going. They’re very good at creating these sideshows and we took our eye off the ball,” the wicketkeeper added.

With the series loss to India at home – for the second time in a row – Tim Paine’s captaincy and his place in the side has come under the scanner – more so with Steve Smith becoming eligible to lead Australia again. However, he is expected to continue to captain the team till the end of the Ashes later in the year.

Also Read: If Kane Williamson Was Indian, He Would Be The Greatest Player In The World: Michael Vaughan

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