'Players weren't thinking about IPL contract', Tim Paine responds
What's the story
Australian captain Tim Paine has rejected Michael Clarke's claims of "sucking up" to Virat Kohli during the 2018-19 Test series.
Paine believes none of the players were thinking about an IPL contract while competing in the series.
The 35-year-old further revealed that the players did not want to trigger the Indian captain as aggression suits his batting style.
Here is more.
Quote
'Not sure who was going on Kohli', says Paine
"I didn't notice too many people being that nice to Virat or not trying to get him out. I'm not sure who was going easy on him. We didn't want to provoke him because that's when he plays the best," Paine told ESPNcricinfo.
IPL
IPL was not the priority, feels Paine
According to Paine, the players were not holding anything back during the series due to IPL.
"I wasn't holding back, but again IPL's not a huge draw for me at the moment. I had nothing to lose," Paine said.
He added, "But anytime our guys go out and play a Test match, they'll be giving their absolute all and they're not thinking about IPL."
Claim
Players didn't sledge Kohli the way they should have
Former Australian batsman Michael Clarke earlier stated that the Aussies succumbed to pressure when India toured down under in 2018-19.
He feels the players held back and did not get the better of Indians during the Test series.
Clarke further opined that the Australians were "too scared" to sledge Virat Kohli throughout the series in the fear of losing IPL contracts.
Newlands
Clarke didn't like Australia's approach after the ball-tampering saga
Clarke questioned Australian team's approach following the infamous Newlands Test.
As shown in the documentary, Australia's focus was to rebuild the reputation in the aftermath.
"Sometimes things happen on a cricket field and you've got to go in, you've got to change your tack, you've got to have a few words," Paine concluded.
"I've been really proud of the way we've played out cricket."