Virat Kohli-Tim Paine banter reports rubbished by BCCI 

What's the story

BCCI has rubbished all the reports regarding the banter between the captains of the visitors and the hosts. BCCI claims the rumours about Kohli calling himself the best batsman in the world are all false and are not accompanied by any trustworthy or authentic sources. Although the match consisted of several heated moments, both the captains have not accepted the media reports as of now.

The background

After the Indian batsmen fell like a house of cards chasing a total over 300 runs, Australia levelled the series 1-1 with a 146-run win. During the course of the series, it was reported that Kohli involved in banter with Paine, acknowledging himself as the best in the world. However, Paine's sledge was clearly heard in the stump mic, where he said that no one could like Kohli as a person.

The heart of the matter

The BCCI dismissed all the reports regarding Kohli's banter with Paine, labelling them false.

BCCI released a statement on Tuesday which read: “There are reports doing the rounds in the media and across social media platforms claiming India Captain Virat Kohli got involved in a banter with Australia Captain Tim Paine during the second Test at Perth.”

It was believed that Kohli said, “I am the best player in the world and you are just a stand-in captain”. However, as per the BCCI, the claims were purely based on 'hearsay' and the words were not spoken by the Indian 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 BCCI report read.

BCCI also mentioned in the report that they received a clarification from the side of the Indian team management stating that the rumours were baseless.

What's next?

Both India and Australia would look to built an unassailable lead in the series with a win in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. After Shaw got ruled out from the series and the Indian openers displayed a poor show, India have roped in Hardik Pandya and Mayank Agarwal for the rest of the series.