Tim Paine Hits Back At Sunil Gavaskar's 'His Days As Captain Are Numbered' Remark

Australia skipper Tim Paine has broken his silence on the severe criticism he faced from Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar in the wake of his conduct on the final day of the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

During the tense moments of the final day of the thrilling Test, Tim Paine was heard hurling abuses at Ravichandran Ashwin, calling him dic****d at one point when the India spinner was putting up a brave fight with the bat. Tim Paine was sledging Ashwin continuously and also made some nasty remarks. Unsurprisingly, he faced severe criticism from all around.

Perhaps that was the reason why he called for an impromptu press conference on Tuesday and apologised for his behaviour. The Australia star admitted that his leadership wasn’t good enough and he had let the pressure affect him during the tense final day wherein Australia managed just 3 wickets before India sealed an unlikely draw. Following the game, Sunil Gavaskar had slammed him and had gone on to say that his days as a skipper are numbered.

Tim Paine finally responded to Sunil Gavaskar’s criticism on Thursday while speaking to the reporters on the eve of the fourth Test. The wicketkeeper-batsman made it clear that he would not engage in a war of words with the former India skipper while also saying that the latter’s opinion does not affect him and his team.

“I am not going to get into it. Going back and forth with Sunil Gavaskar, do not think I am going to win that. He is entitled to his opinion, it does not affect us one bit, if anything it is adding to the Test match. Sunny can keep saying what he wants to say, but in the end, we do not have anything to do with him,” said Paine during a virtual press conference

In the same Test, Tim Paine was also heard abusing the umpire, and also dropped three crucial catches in the match. He was sanctioned by the ICC for hurling abuses at the umpire while expressing his displeasure over a DRS call. Speaking about it, he said:

“I just think I will handle it differently, last Test I let it get under my skin, I have admitted that. I will concentrate on myself and leading my team. This game is about controlling what we can control.

“If we can do that, we will be in a good position. If you look at my entire career, I have done a good job of staying relaxed. At times, you feel you get caught up in the moment,” added Tim Paine.

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