'They weren't going to the Gabba': Australia captain Tim Paine says India good at 'niggling' and 'creating sideshows'

Australia captain Tim Paine has taken a shot at India, saying the Indian cricket team are good at distracting the opposition with things that 'do not matter'.

Australia captain Tim Paine has taken a shot at India, saying the Indian cricket team are good at distracting the opposition with things that 'do not matter'. Paine's comments came in connection to the final Test of the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Gabba in Brisbane, which Australia lost by three wickets, allowing India to seal the Test series 2-1.

Australia captain Tim Paine says India refusing to go to Gabba acted as a distraction for Australia.(Getty Images)

Ahead of the final Test, there were reports that the Indian team was unwilling to travel to Brisbane in view of the stringent protocols related to bio-bubble and insisted that the final Test too be played at the SCG, which had hosted the third Test. Of course, India did go to Brisbane and went on to win the Test, but Paine feels the distraction created due to the matter played a role in Australia losing focus ahead of the final Test.

"Part of the challenge of playing against India is they're very good at niggling you and trying to distract you with stuff that doesn't really matter and there were times in that series where we fell for that," Paine told news.com.au.

"The classic example was when they said they weren't going to the Gabba so we didn't know where we were going. They're very good at creating these sideshows and we took our eye off the ball."

The 2-1 loss was Australia's second consecutive Test series defeat to India on their home soil. During the 2018/19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India had beaten Australia also by a 2-1 margin to register their maiden Test series win in Australia. Paine was the captain back then as well.

While the previous tour was historic in its own ways, the series victory which India registered earlier this year was of epic proportions. With no Virat Kohli and most of the key players injured, in the presence of Steve Smith and David Warner in the opposition, India put up a spirited show after the Adelaide debacle to produce three huge results.

They won the second Test at MCG by eight wickets, followed by a memorable draw in Sydney and capped off the series with a win at Gabba, a venue where Australia hadn't lost a Test match since 1988.