Australia vs India Test series: How Tim Paine won the public

[Nergal]

 

Steve Smith’s seat warmer and the best of a bad bunch; this arguably described best how Tim Paine was viewed by the cricket community two weeks ago.

He was made Test captain when the Australian public felt like it didn’t know its national team anymore. It simply yearned for a time when the team’s stars were national treasures who won games of cricket for fun.

But after Cape Town, the Australian cricket team would never be the same again. And it was watching Paine flip a coin that reminded devastated cricket fans of that sad reality.

These are the same fans that were once spoiled with Adam Gilchrist for their Test wicketkeeper, and fearless leaders like Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh and Allan Border.

Paine will never live up to any of those names. How could he?

Nonetheless, he is proving to be an exceptional wicketkeeper who has a sneaky good record with the bat, and a captain the public can be proud of.

There may have been a lengthy period of acclimatisation, but after two Tests against India it’s clear Paine isn’t going anywhere.

Opposing skipper Virat Kohli scored his 25th Test century in the second Test in Perth, but it was Paine who won the battle of wits.

His cheeky style of banter - that included calling Kohli a “big head” and accusing him of “trying to be cool” - may have been rated PG at most, but it was the perfect tone to unnerve the India skipper. Fighting Kohli’s fire with fire is never wise. It makes him stronger. Ignoring him altogether shows fear and lets him feel like, well, the King. Paine found the perfect middle ground that clearly pushed Kohli’s buttons.

He enthusiastically celebrated catching Paine out in Australia’s second innings, which may have been misplaced given his side was nearly 250 runs behind and he was yet to bat for a second time himself. Later that day he was back in the sheds for 17 and his side was destined to lose - which they did comfortably in the end.