Despite Australia’s best efforts, Team India managed to earn a draw in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). While India were chasing 407 runs to win the match, Australia needed 8 wickets to win the match on Day 5 in Sydney.
However, Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari stitched an unbeaten partnership of 70 runs off 286 balls to dampen Australia’s hopes of a famous win. But, on day 5, Aussie skipper Tim Paine engaged in a bit of banter with Ashwin to rattle the latter’s confidence.
Paine tried to ruffle a few feathers when he told Ashwin that he cannot wait to see the off-spinner in the Brisbane Test. “Can’t wait to get you to the Gabba, Ash,” said Paine.
Ashwin wasn’t having any of it and he gave one to Paine, saying: “I can’t wait to get you to India, it’ll be your last series.”
Paine, however, lost his cool as he got a bit personal with Ashiwn and called him a ‘d***head’. “At least my teammates like my, d***head,” said a frustrated Paine.
Legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar wasn’t happy with the way Paine behaved in the middle and said that it was unbefitting of a national team skipper.
“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,” Gavaskar told India Today.
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.”
“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,” Gavaskar added.
“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.”
“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,” he further stated.
“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.”
After the game ended in a draw, Paine came to Ashwin to shake hands and it seemed all was good between the two players. The fourth and final Test will be played at the Gabba from Friday, with the series currently tied at 1-1.