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Tim Paine and Ravichandran Ashwin [Image Credits: Twitter]

Australian Test captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Paine opened up about his conversation with ace Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the immediate aftermath of the Sydney Test.

Paine and Ashwin were involved in a bitter verbal spat in the wee hours of the Sydney Test, which escalated with the Aussie skipper not only mocking Indian accent but also throwing expletives at the off-spinner.

Tim Paine, Ravichandran Ashwin
Tim Paine, Ravichandran Ashwin. Credits: Twitter

The video of the same went viral on social media and Paine was lambasted by one and all for his language. The Australian stumper called an impromptu presser on Tuesday where he accepted that he failed to lead his side from the front and probably crossed the line as far as his language was concerned.

Paine said that he told Ashwin that he ended up making fool of himself as he dropped a catch of Hanuma Vihari immediately after his altercation with the off-spinner.

“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 further added that he is bitterly disappointed with the way he led his team in the Sydney Test. Besides being fined 15 percent of his match fee for showing dissent and dropping the F-word to umpire Paul Wilson, he dropped as many as three catches on the final day, including two of Rishabh Pant, who went to smash a whirlwind 118-ball 97. He apologized for all his mistakes, adding that it is not a fair reflection of how he wants to lead the Australian team.

Despite his acrimonious conversation with Ravichandran Ashwin, Tim Paine maintained that there is still a lot of mutual respect between the two sides besides adding that the series has largely been played in good spirits.

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“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,” Paine added.

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