Khaleej Times

You don’t have to talk rubbish, says Paine

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adelaide — Australian captain Tim Paine says he’s proud of the way his team not only fought hard against India but played in the right spirit as they put on a friendlier face after the ball-tampering scandal.

The opening Test in Adelaide was the first at home for Australia since the cheating row blew up in South Africa last March, leading to bans for then skipper Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner.

A scathing review into the scandal criticised Australian cricketers for “playing the mongrel” against opponents and in response the team produced a players’ pact vowing to tone down their infamous abrasive attitude.

Both teams shook hands before and after the match as a mark of respect.India eventually won by 31 runs on the fifth day to take momentum into the next Test in Perth starting Friday.

“We played in good spirits. I don’t know about the Indians, we didn’t pay attention to them and we won’t be for the whole series,” he said Monday.

“We can only concentrat­e on the brand and the style of cricket that we want to play.

“From a cricket point of view, we have some areas to tighten up and I thought today (Monday) was a nice snapshot of how we want to go about it.

“We fought really hard and never gave up, and you don’t have to talk rubbish to prove that.”

The Australian­s came face-toface in Adelaide with famously combative Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who thrives on the verbal banter and has never been shy of riling the opposition.

But while he celebrated wickets enthusiast­ically, there were few, if any, niggles between the teams during the highly competitiv­e game.—AFP

 ?? AP ?? Australia’s Tim Paine plays pull shot on the final day of the first Test against India in Adelaide. —
AP Australia’s Tim Paine plays pull shot on the final day of the first Test against India in Adelaide. —

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