'I wanted to pick up the stump and stab Kohli'

Recalling a run-in with Virat Kohli, former Australia opener Ed Cowan on Friday said he once felt like picking up a stump and stabbing the current India captain after being told something 'highly inappropriate'.

India got the better of Australia 2-1 in a recently-concluded four-match series at home in one of the most intense but bitterly-fought series in recent years.

Top-notch cricket aside, the series was marked by one controversy after another with the two captains - Kohli and Steve Smith - in the eye of a raging storm.

Cowan was quoted as saying by Fox Sports: "I had a very sick Mum during one of those series and he said something that was inappropriate.

"Why I make the point of 'lost in translation', he said something that was highly inappropriate. A personal matter that was highly sensitive. Highly inappropriate. But he didn't realise that he'd overstepped the mark until the umpire came over and said -- 'Virat that's overstepped the mark' --

and once that was said, he took a step back and apologised.

"But, there was a moment I wanted to pick up the stump and stab him."

The Australians have been targetting Kohli ever since he stopped short of calling Smith a 'cheat' following the Decision Review System drama, involving the visiting skipper, in the second Test at Bengaluru.

However, Cowan, who has featured in 18 Tests for Australia, claimed that he is a big fan of the Indian.

"I'm a huge fan of his cricket. Don't get me wrong he's a phenomenal cricketer.

"I had a little bit of a run-in that was inappropriate when he toured Australia and the umpire had to intervene.

"We forget that English isn't their first language. It's very easy to sit back and say as a player they're barking something at me that is inappropriate when we don't try and converse with them in Hindi."