‘I certainly wasn’t making any excuses’ – Tim Paine clarifies after being slammed for ‘sideshows’ remark

‘I certainly wasn’t making any excuses’ – Tim Paine clarifies after being slammed for ‘sideshows’ remark

Tim Paine

Australian Test skipper Tim Paine opened up about his tenure as a captain, future plans and India’s tour of Australia earlier this year, reflecting on a topsy-turvy year or so for him at a charity dinner. During his speech he shared that the Indian team distracted the Australians during the tour by their actions off the field.

The Tasmanian even went on to cite India’s refusal to travel to Brisbane due to quarantine restrictions as an example in his speech. His comments didn’t go down well with the Indian fans who took to social media to express their dissent. Following the backlash, Paine clarified that he was asked to speak about the challenges of facing the Asian giants and that was all he did.

“I was asked a number of things, and one of those was talking about the challenges of playing against India. One of them is the distraction they can create. There was a lot of talk that they weren’t going to Brisbane. They’re always changing gloves and bringing out physios and all that can get on your nerves. Just said that was one of the things that probably distracted me and took my eye of the ball at times,” Paine explained on the Gilly and Goss podcast.

“They simply outplayed us and that they deserved to win,” Tim Paine

Virat Kohli and Tim Paine
Virat Kohli and Tim Paine

Tim Paine adds that he was not making any excuses for his second straight Test series loss to India at home. The 36 year old explains that while made the “sideshows” remark, he added that the visitors deserved to win. But the Indian fans seem to have ignored his statement about the same.

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“But also, I did say that they simply outplayed us and that they deserved to win but they left that one out. The Indian fans have been slamming me on social media. They say that I’m making excuses again but it’s all good fun,” Paine added. 

“Absolutely, I think anytime an Australian captain speaks publicly is gonna to see the light of the day, there’s no doubt about that. Like I said, it was a wide-ranging interview for a long period of time. I certainly wasn’t making any excuses. I was asked about some of the challenges of the summer, and I said that was one of them for me,” he added.

Despite being slammed by Indian fans on numerous occasions lately, Paine was in awe of their passion for the game. He shares that he doesn’t mind them trolling him and enjoys the love they have for the game.

“I love Indian fans. I don’t mind getting a bit of stick, particularly when you deserve. They ripped me off in the summer when I dropped those catches, that was totally fair. I love the passion…I love how much they love cricket. I like how much they interact. For some people it’s positive interaction… most of the times they are in to me, but I don’t mind that,” said Paine, praising Indian fans.

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