Australia captain Tim Paine engaged in a bit of banter with Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Day 5 of the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Australia were looking to pick 10 wickets on Day 5 to win the match but the Indian batsmen had other plans. Despite, Australia’s best effort, India managed to hold on and draw the match with Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari stitching an unbeaten partnership of 70 runs off 286 balls.
Paine tried his best to rattle Ashwin when he was in the middle. Paine was seen indulging in banter with Ashwin as he told the off-spinner that he cannot wait to see him in the Brisbane Test. "Can't wait to get you to the Gabba, Ash," Paine said during Nathan Lyon's over. Ashwin was quick to respond and he said: "I can't wait to get you to India, it'll be your last series."
Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar wasn’t happy with the way Paine behaved in the middle and said that it was unbefitting of a national team captain.
"First and foremost, it was unbefitting of a captain of a national team to be talking about something other than cricket. By all means, you want to have a go at the opposition, you talk about their cricket, you can tell the batsmen he doesn't know how to play, you can say he is no good. All those kinds of things are completely acceptable because you're talking cricket. But when you talk about something else, it shows your frustration. It shows you are not able to bear the fact that the opposition is putting up a fight," Sunil Gavaskar told India Today.
"At the end of the day, the Indians had the last laugh. R Ashwin had the last laugh for whatever Tim Paine was saying. I don't know I am not an Australian selector, but his days as captain are numbered. If you allow the Indian team to bat 130-odd overs without getting wickets, this is a very good Australian attack. The bowling changes, the field placements, everything could have made a difference to the result," Gavaskar added.
{{/usCountry}}"At the end of the day, the Indians had the last laugh. R Ashwin had the last laugh for whatever Tim Paine was saying. I don't know I am not an Australian selector, but his days as captain are numbered. If you allow the Indian team to bat 130-odd overs without getting wickets, this is a very good Australian attack. The bowling changes, the field placements, everything could have made a difference to the result," Gavaskar added.
{{/usCountry}}"But Tim Paine was more interested in talking to the batsman rather than his field placing and bowling changes. So I won't be surprised if there is a change in the Australian captaincy after the series is over. If you drop simple catches, Rishabh Pant got two edges, they were not difficult catches, the last one which he missed off Vihari was also which he could have left to the first slip. He was a little bit disturbed, his concentration was not thereafter that little episode with R Ashwin."
At the end of the play, Paine came to Ashwin to shake hands and it seemed all was good between the two players. With the series levelled at 1-1, India and Australia will play the fourth and final Test in Brisbane starting from January 15th.