Tim Paine was at it again on day two in the third Test between India and Australia in Melbourne on Thursday, as he teased Rohit Sharma from behind the stumps to go for a big hit against Nathan Lyon.
The Australiain captain has not shied away from chirping from behind the stumps during this series.
“It’s been a toss up for me between Royals and Indians, and if Rohit hits a six here, I am changing to Mumbai,” said Paine.
He didn’t stop there. “Too many Poms at the Royals,” he said after that referring to Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler playing for the Rajasthan franchise.
The chatter went on for a good couple of overs with Sharma breaking into a smile every now and then.
The banter was seen in the second Test as well when Kohli had a go at Paine on day three saying, “if he messes it up it’s 2-0, and who’s going to talk then?” For which the Australian captain retorted, “You’ve got to bat first, big head.”
When Paine resumed batting on day four, he had a few run-ins with Kohli once again with the umpire needing to step in once and remind the two that they are the captains and need to get on with the game.
A little while after the Indian captain was dismissed, Paine took a dig at Kohli to Murali Vijay who was still out in the middle then.
“I know he is your captain, but you can’t possibly like him as a bloke,” said Paine, which was caught on the stump mic.
Paine’s latest sledge got a lot of attention on Twitter, with Mumbai Indians joining in as well.
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