Tim Paine gave an insight into his conversation with off-spinning all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin as the duo walked off the field on Monday.
The Australian skipper and Ravichandran Ashwin were seen in conversation soon after the match ended as the latter helped India save the Sydney Test.
Tim Paine Reveals He Spoke To Ravichandran Ashwin Afterwards
The duo got into a bitter verbal spat on Day 5 of the Test match. Tim Paine’s banter behind stumps was picked up by the stump mic, with many experts and commentators condemning his unsportsmanlike behaviour.
Former players such as Sunil Gavaskar and Michael Vaughan slammed him for his derogatory remarks towards Ravichandran Ashwin. However, Tim Paine issued apology for the banter afterwards.
The Australian skipper called an impromptu press conference on Tuesday, as he shared what happened after the duo spoke to each other after play ended and apologized for his conduct.
“I spoke to him (Ashwin) really quickly after the game yesterday, as I said to him, look I ended up looking a fool, didn’t I? You open your mouth and then you drop a catch and we had a bit of laugh about that,” Tim Paine said.
Tim Paine had a match to forget in Sydney. The Aussie skipper dropped as many as three catches on the 5th day’s play, as he failed to lead his side to victory in the third Test. The 36-year-old was also fined 15% of his match fee after being found guilty of dissent for appealing to umpire Paul Wilson after a review didn’t go the hosts’ way on Day 3.
Tim Paine: Verbal Spat Didn’t Impact Relations Between India And Australia
The Australia skipper reiterated that his verbal spat with Ravichandran Ashwin didn’t impact the relations between the two teams. Tim Paine praised the fighting spirit in which the Border-Gavaskar series is being played, claiming both India and Australia have a massive amount of respect for each other as the series is tied 1-1 after 3 Tests.
“I think the relations between the two teams have been great, there’s a healthy respect, it’s very competitive. When it’s all said and done, the way the spirit of this series has been played,99% of the time it’s been excellent. Everything was fine with Ashwin,” Tim Paine added.
Tim Paine has been a great ambassador for a new-look Australia since taking over the side’s leadership in the aftermath of the ball-tampering scandal in 2018 which saw then-captain Steve Smith banned for a year and stripped off captaincy alongside David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. Under him, Australia have focused on their cricket and have drastically improved their on-field behaviour afterwards.
But his spat at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) has once again drawn focus towards the hosts’ on-field antics. With Tim Paine in a self-reflective mood and issuing apology after the third Test, he would aim to revert to his calm and professional behaviour again once the two teams take to the field at Brisbane.