'We love to hate him but we also love to..': Australia's Tim Paine on Virat Kohli
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In Tour of 2014, India lost to Australia by 2-0 but Kohli smashed 692 runs from four matches, including four hundred – twin centuries in the first Test in Adelaide.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli's has had a bitter-sweet relationship with Australia. Virat has played some big knocks against the Aussies. However, this year's tour might not be as intense as previous years as Kohli will leave for India after the first Test.
Kohli and Australian players have been involved in intense sledging and Test captain Tim Paine has admitted that Australia and its players 'love to hate' Kohli as competitors but at the same time, as fans, love to watch him bat.
"I get asked a log of questions about Virat Kohli, he’s just another player to me it doesn’t really bother me. There’s 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 ABC Sport.
"With Virat, it is a funny one, 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.
"Australia and India, it’s a heated competition and he’s obviously a competitive person and so am I, so year 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."
Virat Kohli smashed his maiden Test century against Australia in Adelaide way back in 2012. In Tour of 2014, India lost to Australia by 2-0 but Kohli smashed 692 runs from four matches, including four hundred – twin centuries in the first Test in Adelaide.
"There is always a bit more tension when a player is as good as he is, it’s the same when you play against England, its Joe Root or a Ben Stokes. 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," Paine added.
"I’m looking forward to everything to be honest, it’s a huge series. They beat us here last time obviously with a different team, and as I said the rivalry between the two countries building all the time so, I think any time you get to test yourself against the best is something that you look forward to as players and as a team, and we certainly are."