Australia captain Tim Paine has shed more light on his famous stump-mic banter with India wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant as he recalled the series of episodes during a Big Bash League (BBL) match on Monday.
Pant and Paine had a sledging war during India’s historic 2-1 Test series win in Australia in the 2018-19 season. Both the wicketkeepers had a go at each whenever they were doing the wicketkeeping duties in the hard-fought Test series.
Among other things, Tim Paine’s ‘babysitting’ jibe at Rishabh Pant during the Boxing Day Test went viral. Paine tried to needle the young Indian wicketkeeper after he was omitted for the ODI series that followed the 4-Test series.
Tim Paine asked Rishabh Pant if he could extend his stay in Australia after the Test series and maybe play for Hobart Hurricanes while babysitting at his place.
“Tell you what big MS is back in the one-day squad. Should get this bloke down to Hurricanes… They need a batter. Fancy that extend you Aussie holiday, beautiful town Hobart too… get him a waterfront apartment,” Tim Paine had said during the Boxing Day Test in 2018.
“Have him over for dinner. Do you babysit? I can take my wife to the movies while you watch the kids.”
Both Tim Paine and Rishabh Pant proved that the sledging war was just on-field banter when the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman posed with the Australia captain’s wife.
Tim Paine’s wife, Bonnie Paine took to Instagram to share a photo Pant with her kids and captioned it: “Best babysitter”. The photo was taken when the India and Australia cricketers were hosted by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at his official residence in Sydney after the Boxing Day Test.
