It Still Annoys Me That We Lost The Test Series To India: Tim Paine
Published - 23 Nov 2020, 08:04 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:37 AM
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Australia Test captain Tim Paine has conceded the historic series defeat to India in 2018-19 still “annoys” and “grinds” him. A couple of years ago, the wicketkeeper-batsman became the first-ever Australian captain to lose a Test series to India on the home soil.
The Virat Kohli-led side had put up a stunning effort to thrash the hosts 2-1 and retain the Border-Gavaskar series. On the same tour, India had also won the ODI series which was their first-ever bilateral ODI series triumph in Australia. The Men in Blue are in Australia once again for a full-fledged tour.
India and Australia are scheduled to play three ODIs and as many T20Is before locking horns in the much-anticipated four-match Test series. The Test series is scheduled to start on December 17 in Adelaide. It will be the first-ever day-night Test match between the two teams.
“Certainly for me sitting back it still annoys me that we lost that Test series. Whether we had Steve or David or not you don’t want to be losing any Test matches or Test series you’re involved in, so that still grinds me a little bit,” Tim Paine told 2GB’s WWOS radio, as quoted by Fox Cricket.
Australia will be a different side this year with the likes of Steve Smith and David Warner available and the emergence of Marnus Labuschagne. Australia would be desperate to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after losing the last two series against India.
‘We are a much better all-round side’:
Tim Paine further said that the addition of Smith and Warner will give the Australian Test side a different outlook. He stated that Australia are now a ‘much better all-round side’ while also saying that the other players of the team have improved a lot in the last few months.
“I think we’re a much better all round side. Not just adding Steve and David back into it, which is a hell of a lot of runs to add back into a side, but I think every other cricketer in that team has improved in the last 18 months as well and we’ve been playing some really good cricket, whereas back then I think we were finding our way through a really challenging or different type of set up,” said Tim Paine.
