“At least my teammates like me, d***head.”
Tim Paine has attracted criticism after his war of words with Indian batsman Ravi Ashwin during the final session of a gruelling Test match.
The Australia captain has been known to indulge in some bold sledging in the past. He was once caught by the stump mics saying to Murali Vijay that he “couldn’t possible like [Virat Kohli] as a bloke.”
And the last test at the SCG was no different, as Paine attempted to psyche out Ashwin by pulling out some desperate sledges as the clock ticked down with the tourists still needing five wickets.
Stump mics heard him saying: “I can’t wait to get you to the Gabba Ash I’ll tell you what, woo hoo.”
“Just like we want to get you to India that will be your last series,” Ashwin responded.
“Maybe. Are you a selector here as well?” Paine replied.
Top level banter from the Aussie captain, I’m sure you’ll agree.
He continued: “At least my teammates like me, dickhead. I’ve got a lot more Indian friends than you do.
“Even your teammates think you’re a goose. Don’t they? Every one of them.”
The sledging occurred during an over from Aussie spinner Nathan Lyon, who appeared frustrated as Ashwin repeatedly moved away from his crease, refusing to face a ball until Paine relented.
Eventually, play continued but the sledging did not seem to work in Paine’s favour, as he dropped a simple catch after Hanuma Vihari edged a ball from Starc.
Did Tim Paine just drop the Border-Gavaskar Trophy?#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/uwyYYSrZee
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) January 11, 2021
The match was drawn, with the series tied at 1-1 going into the fourth test at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Paine has come under heavy criticism since the episode, with many India and England fans mocking him for his dropped catch and embarrassing attempt at putting an opposing batsman off his game.
https://twitter.com/DanishSait/status/1348522721815060483?s=20
