'Pujara used to irritate us': Tim Paine recalls Australia's misery
What's the story
Former Australia Test captain Tim Paine has opened up about his experiences with Indian cricketers during his tenure. As Australia A prepare to face India A in a four-day match starting Tuesday, Paine stressed the importance of such tours for young players. He also recalled the challenges posed by Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant during their matches.
Tour significance
'A' tours help players get acclimatized
Paine, who is a part of the Australia A support staff for the series, highlighted the significance of 'A' tours in preparing future cricketers.
"That's why we're investing quite a lot of time and resources into getting the next group of cricketers over here," he told Times of India.
The former captain stressed on acclimatizing to Indian conditions, saying it helps develop game plans.
He also acknowledged the importance of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy for Australia.
Player adaptation
Adapting to Indian batters in Indian conditions
Paine spoke about the challenge of adapting to Indian players like Devdutt Padikkal and Sai Sudharsan.
He said, "There's a lot of footage available, but if it was as simple as saying, 'This is his weakness and this is how you get him out,' they wouldn't be the player they are now."
The former captain stressed that bowling to such quality players in these conditions is an amazing experience for young bowlers.
Tough opponent
Paine names Pujara as toughest Indian batter to dismiss
When asked about the toughest Indian batter to dismiss during his captaincy, Paine named Cheteshwar Pujara.
He praised Pujara's concentration and discipline, calling him a tough opponent.
"He used to irritate us. We were just trying to get him out," said Paine while recalling how Pat Cummins eventually figured out a way to dismiss Pujara by getting him caught behind.
Aggressive approach
Pant's aggression and confidence impressed Paine
Paine also recalled Rishabh Pant's famous Gabba innings, saying he loved the way Pant played in Australia.
He praised the Indian wicketkeeper-batter's aggression and confidence, saying it was something they are trying to instill in their young group.
"That's what Rishabh did against high-class bowlers. He threw them off their lines and lengths and put them under pressure," Paine said while encouraging his players to adopt a similar approach.
Stats
Here's how Pujara and Pant fared vs Australia
Pujara scored a massive 2,074 runs across 25 Tests against the Aussies at an average of 49.38. This includes five tons and 11 fifties.
Pant owns 879 runs from 12 matches in this regard at 46.26. He has recorded four 50-plus scores against them, including a ton.
Player selection
What Paine said about Pant's absence from white-ball setup
Paine was asked about his surprise at Pant's absence from India's white-ball set-up.
The former captain said he hasn't watched enough of his white-ball cricket to say.
However, he acknowledged that if the Indian cricketer is playing well, there is no reason why he wouldn't be a fantastic white-ball player given his skill and talent.