I Don't Think India Played Any Mind Game To Be Honest; Australia Messed It And Lost: Deep Dasgupta

Former India keeper-batsman Deep Dasgupta has opened up on Australian Test captain Tim Paine’s comments on their defeat at the Gabba against India this summer. Australia suffered a seven-wicket loss and lost their second consecutive home Test series against India after losing at the Gabba for the first time in 32 years. Deep Dasgupta believes that India hardly played any mind games after Tim Paine commented that the tourists’ sideshows were distracting, leading to the final Test.

On Friday, Tim Paine told news.com.au that India was excellent at diverting on things that hardly mattered before the series and felt the hosts fell in the trap. Reportedly, the tourists initially were not willing to travel to Brisbane due to a hard quarantine before the game. The visitors registered an emphatic seven-wicket win on the final day by chasing more than 320 as Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Rishabh Pant made half-centuries of the highest quality.

Deep Dasgupta doesn’t felt like Tim Paine made excuses; however, he believes that it was Australia’s fault to take their eyes off the ball and that India did not play any mind games. The 43-year old justified that the visitors had a genuine issue with quarantine and reminded that none of the players, management, or staff said anything about it. Dasgupta said that it was mostly only rumours floating around.

“I don’t think he is making excuses to be honest. After so many months I think he was answering a question or whatever. But having said that, the fact that they did take their eyes off the ball is their fault, isn’t it? There was a genuine issue there, it was not that India was trying to plan up an issue. It was a genuine issue of Indian team going there, getting into a quarantine, into an isolation before a game. It was genuine issue which Indian team brought up and mind you none of the players, team management and coaching staff said anything about it. It was just a hearsay or people generally talking or rumours. I don’t think any players of support staff said about not going to Gabba,” Deep Dasgupta said as quoted by India Today.

I don’t think I have never ever heard of Indian team playing mind games and sideshows: Deep Dasgupta

Deep Dasgupta felt that Australia’s own mess caused their defeat at the Gabba to an Indian team without most of their first-choice players. The Kolkata-born former cricketer said that India are not the one to play mind games.

“If there was no official statement what were they taking about and what are they talking about, who were they listening to. So, basically they messed it and lost after 30-plus years at Gabba, they lost back-to-back series to India without Indian team not having quite a few players available for that game. It’s there fault to take their eyes off the ball. I don’t think India played any mind game to be honest. I find it really amusing that he has to bring this up now and I mean just too bad that they fell for it. I don’t think I have never ever heard of Indian team playing mind games and sideshows,” he added.

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