Gavaskar says Kohli has captaincy edge over Paine

Tim Paine has been accused of letting Virat Kohli slip under his skin the last time they met and giving the Indians a significant psychological edge for the first Test.

Indian captain Virat Kohli and Australian captain Australian captain Tim Paine get up close and personal during the 2018-19 Test series

Tim Paine has been accused of letting Virat Kohli slip under his skin the last time they met and giving the Indians a significant psychological edge for the first Test.

Indian cricket Godfather Sunil Gavaskar has lit the fuse for an explosive series opener in Adelaide by suggesting Paine’s famous “you can’t seriously like him as a bloke” sledge was a sign the Australian skipper had lost the mental game to Kohli.

Paine has a very different take on what the running battle he had with Kohli two summers ago meant for his team, with the Australian camp identifying it as a seminal moment where the skipper broke the ice for them to finally get their competitive fire back after feeling compelled to behave like choir boys in the wake of the ball tampering scandal.

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Kohli reportedly sledged his counterpart for being a “part-time captain”, and feeling he had to stand up for his undermanned team, Paine returned serve, culminating in his classic line to Indian batsman Murali Vijay: “I know he’s your captain, but you can’t seriously like him as a bloke.”

At one point the pair had to be separated by umpires and although Australia won that fiery Test match in Perth, Gavaskar claims India and Kohli won the war.

Kohli is only in Australia for one match, but Gavaskar is adamant Paine has surrendered a major tactical and mental advantage heading into a first Test that feels almost do-or-die in terms of its importance.

“The way it looked to me … was that Virat and the Indian team had got under Tim Paine’s skin and that’s always a big plus,” said Gavaskar, who is part of the Channel 7 commentary this summer.

“When something like that happens and you get under, not just the player, but under the opposing captain’s skin – clearly I think the Indian team and Virat start with a psychological plus for the first Test.

“I would imagine that Virat’s got the tactical edge for the simple reason that he’s won the last series when Tim Paine was captain, so that straight away starts him off with a psychological advantage.”

Former Australian great and Fox Cricket expert Mark Waugh disagrees and claims India’s tactical advantage may actually come when Kohli heads home.

“(Ajinkya) Rahane, who is the vice-captain, seems to be a very good tactician,” Waugh told News Corp earlier this summer.

“When he captains the team I think he’s probably a better tactician than Kohli to be honest.

“Not many people will say that but I think he’s a good captain, Rahane.”

At one moment out in the middle two summers ago, Kohli squared up chest-to-chest with Paine as umpires intervened.

Paine says his motivation to break Australia’s self-imposed cone of silence with Kohli was to stand up for his teammates and set a tone for how the side could reclaim its competitive mojo without risking the ire of the public by crossing the line.

The incident earned Paine a lot of respect from Australian fans.

“I was just sitting and watching him and he gave a few of our guys send-offs,” Paine said on the documentary, The Test.

“The plan was not to talk to him when he was batting. When we were batting, it’s kinds of up to the individual what they want to do and I sort of just had enough and thought you also have to stand up for yourselves and stand up for your teammates.

“And that was one of the reasons. I just thought, ‘I am the captain it is my turn now. I have to stand up and show him that we were here for the fight.’”

Paine told the ABC earlier this summer that his relationship with Kohli is virtually non-existent apart from meeting at the toss.

In an interview about The Test documentary, Paine explained more about his motivations.

“He was trying to upset me with the part-time captain (line), and I sort of went the opposite with him. I was sort of telling him how good he was and that he was the greatest player ever,” he said.

“You don’t want to get right into a fight with him because that’s what he likes. I was just trying to poke him a little bit and see if I could get him to implode a little bit.”

The Daily Telegraph

PAINE v KOHLI FACTBOX

Day 3 Perth Test

Kohli: “If he messes it up, it’s 2-0.

Paine: “You’ve got to bat first, big head.”

Day 4

Kohli: “I’m not saying a word to you, why are you getting riled up?”

Paine: “I’m fine. You’re the one that lost it yesterday, why are you trying to be cool today?”

Umpire Gaffaney: “Oi, that’s enough.”

Paine: “We’re allowed to talk.”

Gaffaney: “Nah, come on, play the game. You guys are the captains.”

Paine: “We can have a conversation … there’s no swearing.”

Gaffaney: “Tim you’re the captain.”

Paine: “Keep your cool, Virat.”

Later on day 4 Perth Test

Paine to Murali Vijay: “I know he’s your captain, but you can’t seriously like him as a bloke.”