New Delhi: Australian captain Tim Paine wasn’t particularly pleased with India not willing to travel to Gabba for the final Test and took a shot at the visitors by saying that they are good at distracting with stuff that really doesn’t matter. Australia lost the series 2-1 after India came back brilliantly to win the second and fourth Test of the series, the last being held at Gabba which was known to be the fortress for the Aussies having not lost a game there since 1988 i.e 32 years ago.
“Part of the challenge of playing against India is they’re very good at niggling you and trying to distract you with stuff that doesn’t really matter and there were times in that series where we fell for that,” Paine told news.com.au.
By taking the example of India’s stand of not willing to travel to Gabba for the final Test, Paine felt that India was successful in distracting the opposition that played a role in Australia losing the plot ahead of the final Test.
“The classic example was when they said they weren’t going to the Gabba so we didn’t know where we were going. They’re very good at creating these sideshows and we took our eye off the ball,” added the Australian captain.
Soon after, Paine was taken to the cleaners on social media as during intense moments, several times during the series, the Australian side crossed the line while trying to get under the skin of the Indians.
After losing the first Test match in Australia, India came back strongly in Melbourne by winning the second Test match. What followed next was a memorable draw in Sydney and a historic win at the Gabba that helped India win the series 2-1.