All eyes are on the boxing day Test between India and Australia, as both the teams stand at 1-1 after  winning a match each in the series. A victory in the third test will ensure that the winning team cannot lose the series. However, besides the teams battling it out at MCG from December 26-30, 2018, the captains of both the sides, Virat Kohli and Tim Piane are having a war of words of their own. Australia skipper Tim Paine said on Monday that he is “relishing going head-to-head” with Virat Kohli, setting the stage for more 'sparks' between the captains and the teams at Melbourne. Virat Kohli Loses to Tim Paine in Sledging Contest as India Goes Down to Australia in 2nd Test Match at Perth, Is Indian Captain Crossing the Line Too Often?

The Indian captain and the Australian skipper had quite a number of verbal exchanges during the second Test of Day 4 and 5 of the Perth Test match. Paine had the last laugh as Australia won the match by 146 runs and levelling the series 1-1. Virat Kohli vs Tim Paine: Australia Skipper Enjoying Heated Exchange, Predicts Intense 'Hard' Cricket Against India in Boxing Day Test.

And though Paine and the BCCI have been playing down the sledging part between the captains as nothing but normal incidents on the field, Virat Kohli is not the one to go down without a fight. And considering that Tim Paine has had the upper hand in the battle so far, Virat will be eager to settle scores with the Australian captain, both with the bat and with the mouth. BCCI Rubbishes Reports on Virat Kohli-Tim Paine Banter in 2nd IND vs AUS Test Match at Perth Stadium.

Ahead of the third Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the two captains came together for The Indian summer Festival, a three-day event organised jointly by the Victorian government and Cricket Australia (CA). Both Kohli and Paine were seen posing with the Border-Gavaskar trophy at the Indian Summer Festival in Melbourne on Sunday. Fans thronged the Yarra Park to see their favourite cricketers. And though the captains put up a smiling picture, fans are sure that more than smiles will be exchanged once the competition heats up at Melbourne cricket ground when both the teams battle it out for supremacy.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 24, 2018 04:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).