Ind vs Aus: Tim Paine talks strategy against Bumrah & Co. ahead of Sydney Test

Speaking ahead of the Sydney Test, Tim Paine discussed his side's strategy against a sharp Indian bowling arsenal and also addressed reports of the visitor not wanting to play in Brisbane.

Published : Jan 06, 2021 10:20 IST , CHENNAI

Aussie skipper Tim Paine hopes to cash in on the inexperience in the Indian bowling lineup in the Sydney Test.
Aussie skipper Tim Paine hopes to cash in on the inexperience in the Indian bowling lineup in the Sydney Test.
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Aussie skipper Tim Paine hopes to cash in on the inexperience in the Indian bowling lineup in the Sydney Test.

Australian skipper Tim Paine urged his batsmen to be more proactive and expressive with their strokeplay to get on top of the Indian bowlers, who have managed to keep the host quiet with their tight bowling so far.

When asked about the plans ahead of the third Test that starts in Sydney on Thursday, Paine said, “We have spoken about the mindset. We have got some decent plans, it is just a matter of going out and having the courage to execute him.”  

“So if you are a guy who wants to take them on and hit over the top or sweep and reverse-sweep the spinners when they are bowling, then we are just encouraging the guys to do that and to have the courage to take the game on,” he added.

The Aussie skipper further said, “I think at times, we have just let them dictate to us a little bit, let them build pressure and, then you know with the pressure, you get wickets.”

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With India set to have two relatively inexperienced seamers in Mohammed Siraj and a third pacer (Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini or T Natarajan), Paine feels the Aussies will focus on to force India to bowl Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin more.

“Ideally we would want them (Bumrah and Ashwin) bowling a lot of overs, which means we are scoring a lot of runs. But we have seen with the Indian batters, they have got some real depth around their squad now. Guys like (Shubman) Gill that come in are very good players, very dangerous players and the same with their attack.”

“We have seen them do well. We played against them in Australia A games and, we know the skills they have all got. So we certainly can't take any of them lightly. But obviously, a huge key is to try and get a lot of overs into Bumrah and Ashwin. If we can do that then obviously we are scoring more runs and, we are making the younger guys ball a bit more as well,” the 36-year-old added.

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Paine also took a dig at the Indian team after reports emerged of the visitor not wanting to play the fourth Test in Brisbane since the players did not want to do a hard quarantine there. The Aussie skipper said these reports were causing uncertainty and hinted that India had the might in cricketing world to get things done.

When asked about it, Paine said, “I wouldn’t say frustration. I would say a bit of uncertainty when you hear things like that - coming particularly from India who we know holds a lot of power in world cricket - it is likely that it could happen. We are not too fussed. We are not going into where the Test is being played. As far as we are aware it is at the Gabba. But as I said at the team meeting the other day, we couldn't care less if you rang us up and said it is in Mumbai tomorrow. We will get on a plane and go and play. That's the way we're looking at.”

(The third Test between India and Australia will be broadcast LIVE on Sony Six, Sony Ten 3 and Sony Ten 1. It will also be streamed live on the Sony LIV app)

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