India vs Australia: BCCI rubbishes reports on Virat Kohli-Tim Paine banter

“It is “assumed” that Kohli said, “I am the best player in the world and you are just a stand-in captain”. These claims were based on hearsay and the BCCI would like to bring into notice that no such words were spoken on the field by the Indian captain,” the statement added.

Australia defeated India by 146 runs in the second Test to level the four-match series 1-1. There were a few heated moments during the match when the two warring captains were locked in a few verbal showdowns. However, both the captains denied that they had crossed the line.

“It got pretty close. It was a highly competitive Test match from both teams. There’s a lot on the line and both teams desperately want to win and sometimes that stuff happens” Paine said in the post-match press conference.

“I love it. I enjoy watching Kohli, I always have. I think he brings out the competitive spirit in a lot of people which is great, and I’m sure it was great to watch. I was really proud of the way our team conducted themselves on the field this week.

“We definitely will (the Indian team for a beer) after the series. That’s always been the thing that has happened and will always be the case,” he added.

Kohli also said that there was no swearing or any personal attacks during his verbal duel with the Australian skipper and no line was crossed. “Well, it is definitely nothing compared to 2014, to be honest,” said Kohli before adding, “As long as there is no swearing on the field, and there are no personal attacks, the line doesn’t get crossed. That’s it!.”