Virat Kohli insists he has no intentions of resuming any altercations with opposite number Tim Paine when India and Australia meet in the Boxing Day Test.

The sides clash in Melbourne with the four-match series locked at 1-1 after the hosts' 146-run victory in Perth last time out.

That Test saw captains Kohli and Paine exchange words on a couple of occasions, while the pair made slight physical contact while the Australia skipper was batting.

Paine was heard over the stump microphone saying to Murai Vijay: "I know he's your captain but you can't seriously like him as a bloke", but Kohli will not be seeking to continue the spat at the MCG.

"I don't think so. That's in the past," he said. "As I said, it's Test cricket at the highest level when two tough teams are going against each other.

"There will be things that happen on the field. I think it's important to leave it there and focus on the next Test match.

"We are definitely not looking to find something to talk about.

"You just want to play good, competitive cricket and when both teams are passionate and desperate to win, obviously, those things happen on the field.

"As I said, as long as the line is not crossed, you have no issues. I said that before the last Test as well.

"I am sure Tim and myself both understand what happened and we definitely don't want to do something unnecessary. We want to lead our teams well and play good cricket the public wants to see."