Australia skipper Tim Paine responded to batting great Sunil Gavaskar’s criticism of him, saying the former India captain is entitled to his opinion but it does not affect the Australian team one bit.
Sunil Gavaskar, while speaking to India Today, had openly criticized Paine’s on-field behaviour during the Sydney Test and said that it was unbefitting of a national team captain.
Asked if he had heard about Gavaskar’s comments on him, Paine said: “I had, but I am not going to go into it and get my back and forth with Sunny Gavaskar, I think I am not going to win that.”
“He is entitled to his opinion, it does not affect us one bit, if anything it is adding to the Test match. Sunny can keep saying what he wants to say, but in the end, we do not have anything to do with him,” Paine said during a virtual press conference.
Paine has already publicly apologized for crossing the line and said that from now on, he would like to play the way he knows and that’s doing his job with a smile on his face.
“I just think I will handle it differently, last Test I let it get under my skin, I have admitted that. I will concentrate on myself and leading my team. This game is about controlling what we can control.
“If we can do that, we will be in a good position. If you look at my entire career, I have done a good job of staying relaxed. At times, you feel you get caught up in the moment,” said Paine.
