India legend Sunil Gavaskar has stepped up his attack on Tim Paine, declaring the wicketkeeper’s behaviour on the final day of the Sydney Test was unbefitting of a leader and that his “days as captain are numbered”.
Key points:
- Tim Paine’s on-field banter with India’s Ravichandran Ashwin turned personal during the dying overs of the third Test
- Gavaskar said the verbals were “uneccessary” and “ridiculous”
- Paine and stand-in Indian skipper Ajinkya Rahane said there was “no harm done” by the interchange, as long as it stayed on the field
Paine’s antics on day five of the third Test, and those of some teammates, made headlines around the world after an epic draw at the SCG.
Stump microphones picked up some barbs that Australia’s skipper, who has helped turn around the team’s image after the Cape Town cheating scandal, directed at India veteran Ravichandran Ashwin during the 122nd over of the stonewall.
The conversation started as friendly banter, with Paine telling Ashwin: “I can’t wait for you to get to the Gabba”, referring to the fourth Test in Brisbane, where Australia has not lost since 1988.
The Indian veteran: “Just like we want to get you to India. It’ll be your last series.”
Paine then claimed, “at least my teammates like me, dickhead” during the spat and boasted of having “more Indian friends than you do”.
“Even your teammates think you’re a goose. Don’t they? Every one of them,” he told Ashwin.
He also mocked Ashwin by asking “how many IPL teams wanted you, when you asked every single one of them to have you?”.
Paine dropped a catch during the following over, while Ashwin dragged his side to a draw despite a sore back.
Gavaskar, commentating at the time for Seven Network, slammed Paine for his “ridiculous” and “unnecessary” verbals.
The former opener, whose name adorns the trophy on the line during the fourth Test that starts on Friday, was even more critical while analysing Paine’s poor finish to the tense Test for India Today.
“It was unbefitting of a captain of a national team to be talking about something other than cricket,” he said.
“You want to have a go at the opposition, you talk about their 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.
“The Indians had the last laugh. R Ashwin had the last laugh.
“I am not an Australian selector but his days as captain are numbered.”
Gavaskar questioned the tactical nous of Paine, who dropped three catches on Monday, suggesting the 36-year-old helped India escape with a draw.
“If you allow the Indian team to bat 130-odd overs without getting wickets — this is a very good Australian attack,” he said.
“Everything could have made a difference.
“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.
“He was a little bit disturbed; his concentration was not there after that little episode.”
Former England captain Michael Vaughan also hit out at Paine’s language behind the stumps, saying the sledging was “back to the old days”.
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Paine was fined 15 per cent of his match fee after being found guilty of dissent, having appealed to standing umpire Paul Wilson for some “f***ing consistency” during the game.
Paine regretted his language in that instance, saying he needed to set a better example.
“I probably set a pretty poor example with my use of language,” he told reporters.
“Certainly disappointed with myself.
“I certainly didn’t mean to be disrespectful to him [Wilson]. It was just heat of moment. I need to be better.
“I know the stump mics are on and there’s a lot of kids watching, and I need to set a better example.”
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But the Australian skipper felt the byplay with Ashwin was a case of “no harm done”.
“They were wasting a bit of time; we were getting a bit frustrated. We let him know, he had a bit of say back,” he said.
“It’s all part of the game.”
Stand-in India captain Ajinkya Rahane was also not concerned, saying “as long as it stays on the field”.
Matthew Wade’s sledging and Steve Smith marking Rishabh Pant’s batting guard during a drinks break also went down poorly in India as well as England.
“This is very, very poor,” former England captain Michael Vaughan said on Twitter of the Smith incident.
AAP/ABC
