Australia v India report: Tim Paine returns fire at Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has been left red-faced after his sneaky plot to paint Tim Paine as the antagonist in an explosive Test match backfired spectacularly in Perth.
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Virat Kohli has been left red-faced after his sneaky plot to paint Tim Paine as the antagonist in an explosive Test match backfired spectacularly in Perth.
Nathan Lyon spun Kohli out to hurtle Australia towards a pulsating first Test match victory since Sandpapergate and once the King had fallen, Paine delivered the most cutting sledge to light the fuse for a Boxing Day blockbuster at the MCG with the score set to be levelled at 1-1 on Tuesday.
“I know he’s your captain,” Paine said to Kohli’s teammate, Murali Vijay.
“But you can’t seriously like him as a bloke.”
Next over, Vijay also folded to Lyon and with India to start the final day 174 behind with only five wickets in hand, a drought-breaking triumph for the history books awaits Paine and Australia.
Kohli was back to his old tricks as he mischievously tattled on Paine to the umpires in a bid to hoodwink them about who was the instigator. And at another point the Indian captain changed his line to virtually invite a physical confrontation with Paine at the end of the pitch.
It’s understood Kohli tried to bait Paine by boastfully referring to himself as “the best player in the world” and by contrast, mocking the Australian’s standing as a skipper.
Bristling former Test great Mitchell Johnson revealed that Australian players told him on the ground at lunch that Kohli had been busy ‘dobbing’ to the teacher.
"Murali, I know he's your captain but you can't seriously like him as a bloke"
— Telegraph Sport (@telegraph_sport) December 17, 2018
Australia captain Tim Paine gets the last laugh with an absolute zinger against @imVkohli 🤣 pic.twitter.com/6E8bASbFQT
“I was just speaking to a couple of the boys and Virat was going to the umpire and telling the umpire that, ‘Tim Paine is talking to me, can you tell him to stop’” Johnson told Fox Cricket.
Josh Hazlewood insisted Kohli’s consistent abuse – sometimes delivered in Hindi – was not personal and refused to admit frustration that the Indian captain appears a law unto himself compared to the strict scrutiny that binds this new-look Australian team.
“We go about our work how we see fit and the Indians can do what they like,” said Hazlewood.
“It’s going to get a little bit heated from time to time … but we’re pretty confident we can hold that line.”
Kohli’s boastful claims out in the middle that he’s “the best player in the world” were queried somewhat by Hazlewood.
“I probably see Pujara as the big wicket as far as when I’m bowling,” said Hazlewood when asked if Kohli was a one-man band.
“He’s the one who is the glue who holds them together I think. He’s batted the most balls this series I think and scored nearly the most runs.”
At stumps on day four, India are all-but vanquished at 5-112 after Mitchell Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon went for the throat after they’d set the tourists a daunting 287-run target on a wild pitch.
Australia’s second-innings’ 243 anchored by Usman Khawaja’s (72) partnership with Paine (37) and a 36-run final-run stand between Starc and Hazlewood.
Paine was at one point picked up by the stump microphone saying to Kohli, “you’re the one that lost it yesterday, that’s why you’re trying to be cool today,” in reference to Kohli’s dummy-spit on day three.
Umpire Chris Gaffaney intervened and scolded both Kohli and Paine to remember their responsibilities: “you’re the captains!” he said.
Paine unsuccessfully tried to argue that the conversation was fine because there was no swearing, before he got in one last quip over Gaffaney’s shoulder, saying: “keep your cool Virat.”
The over finished with Kohli deliberately planting himself at the end of the pitch where he knew Paine was going to complete a single and the Australian captain had to pull himself up on a sixpence to avoid contact.
Paine and Kohli had come from the field on the night of day three going at each other after a last-over slanging match where the Australian skipper labelled the Indian master a “big head.”
When Paine’s stoic match-defining knock of 37 ultimately came to an end thanks to a climbing bouncer from six-wicket star Mohammed Shami, he kept turning back as he walked from the field – suggesting he was copping a royal send-off from Kohli and the Indians.
When Kohli came to the crease as India’s last hope, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Marsh made a hostile guard of honour for him to pass through on the edge of the square before Josh Hazlewood slammed down a first-up bouncer.
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