Australia’s Test skipper Tim Paine may have been involved in a lot of heated on-field duels with Virat Kohli, but his admiration for the Indian captain remains intact.

Under Kohli’s leadership, India won their maiden Test series on Australian soil in 2018-19 while Paine was at the helm of affairs for the home team.

Speaking on the 'Gilly and Goss' podcast, Paine recently termed Kohli as the best batsman in the world and said he'll always remember his India counterpart for sharing a feud with him during the 2018-19 tour.

"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," Paine stated.

During the 2018-19 series, Paine and Kohli nearly had a physical altercation in the second Test as well. Such was the event that the on-field umpires had to step in and warn both the captains.

"I was just sitting and watching him and he gave few of our guys send-offs. The plan was not to talk to him when he was batting. When we were batting, its kinds of up to the individual they want to do. And I sort of just had enough and thought you also have to stand up for yourselves and stand up for your teammates. And that was one of the reasons. I just thought I am the captain it is my turn now. I have to stand up and show him that we were here for the fight," Paine had said in Amazon's docu-drama 'The Test'.