Australia v India: Tim Paine vs Ravichandran Ashwin

Read Time:4 Minute, 38 Second

Australia v India: Tim Paine vs Ravichandran Ashwin - when sledding got heavy

“For me there will probably be no worse day than today.”

When the Indian team managed to draw a memorable Test match against Australia in Sydney and the series remained intact 1–1 before the fourth Test in Brisbane, Australian captain Tim Paine said this, hardly any of these things Will disagree.

On the final day of the Test match, India lost only three wickets and under the pain of a back injury, the pair of Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari, battling the Hamstring Injury, batted to the end without being dismissed at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

This was not only bad for Penn, but during the day’s play, he took three catches and also engaged in useless sledging, due to which he was criticized after the match.

Australia were desperate for a win on day five and captain Tim Paine’s disappointment with the Indian batsmen remaining on the wicket was evident when his voice was heard sledging from Stumps’ microphone.

Pen: ” We can’t wait to see you in Gaba.” Penn was referring to the fourth Test to be held in Brisbane, which is to start on Friday.

Ashwin: “Just like we can’t wait to see you in India. That will be your last series.”

Pen: “At least my teammates like me.”

Penn did some disgrace after the last sentence. This is not the first time Penn has said this. In 2018, when the Indian team visited Australia, Penn did a similar sledding against Virat Kohli .

Tim Paine, who has missed two catches in the match till then, does not like the remark, especially when he does not have a single century in Test matches while Ashwin has crossed the score of three points four times.

In the next over, Penn once again dropped the catch. This time, he stole the catch of Hanuma Vihari off the ball of Mitchell Starc, and along with it, the chance of taking the lead in the series was also lost.

And then when Penn caught a catch on the first ball thrown after the end of the tea time, in the action replay, it was shown that the ball did not take the outer edge of Ashwin’s gloves and the umpire had to change the decision. At that time Ashwin was playing by scoring seven runs.

Penn was fined 15 per cent of the match fee for disagreeing with the umpire’s decision in the match and foul of field umpire Paul Wilson on the third day. When asked about this after the match, he said that I “set a very bad example” and “need to improve”.

Let’s be honest the captain of Australia since sandpaper gate has led this team with great distinction,attitude & never once has he crossed the line of negativity in my eyes,but today his language behind the stumps & sledging today was back to the old days !! Very very poor !!
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) January 11, 2021

Indian captain Ajinkya Rahane called it an incident on the field and said that he was not there then, but India’s legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, during his commentary on Channel 7, described Penn’s remarks as “unwanted and unnecessary”.

On his performance in wicket keeping, Penn said, “I am very disappointed because I take pride in my wicket keeping.”

Penn said, “It is very bad especially when our fast bowler and spin bowler bowled openly and made every effort to win the team.”

He said, “Of course I have disappointed him, I have to accept it. But I am an important part of the team and I know that I will have another chance next week.”

What was Steve Smith doing on the pitch at drinks break?

Sledging a pen was not the only way that Australia tried to defeat India. During the drinks break, when Rishabh Pant went off the pitch to drink water, Stumps showed in the camera that Smith went to the pitch. He went to the place where the batsmen take guard. Smith, with his shoes, marked the place where the batsmen stand.

Pant was then playing for 97 runs. When he returned to the pitch, he had to ask the umpire to guard again. Pant was out on this score. So was it a deliberate attempt to spoil the pitch or just Smith’s madness?

Former England captain Michael Vaughan described it as a ‘very bad’ act of a former Australia captain who has been banned for a year due to ball tampering. At the same time, former India opener Virender Sehwag says that this shows that Australia has ‘tried every trick’.

While fielding at short leg during the match, the voices of Matthew Wade were also heard, who were warning Ashwin to pay attention, not to break his ribs. When he managed to stop a shot and the Australian players congratulated him for this, he was also seen making fun of Ashwin while falling and acting hurt.

For cricket fans, this behavior of the Kangaroos must have been astonishing to see how much the Australian culture has really changed since that 2018 episode when the Australian players did not go out of their way after being tricked and cheated by the ball against South Africa. Promised to cross.

When Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari put India’s score to 334 for five by the end of the fifth day and India had a memorable draw at the end, one thing must be said of course that Australia’s sledding policy failed.