Xtra Time Web Desk: The Australians have started their mind games against the Indians well and truly ahead of the much anticipated test series which begins in Adelaide on December 17. The test series follows the three match ODI and T20I series. Australian test captain has fired the first salvo targeted at Indian captain Virat Kohli. Paine said that he sees the India captain as “just another player” despite his immense talent as a batsman.
“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.”
Paine further added that it’s always a heated affair when the two teams meet and compared his on-field battles with Kohli to the likes of Joe Root and Ben Stokes.
“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,” he said.
The last time the two teams were involved in a test series in Australia, Kohli led India won the series 2-1. India’s tour of Australia will commence on November 27 with the three-match ODI series followed by as many T20Is and the Test series. The four-match Test series will start from December 17.