Australia spinner Matt Kuhnemann found himself in a bit of a turmoil after Sri Lanka complained against his action in recently-concluded Test series. Former Australia captain Tim Paine jumped into the chatter around the subject, suggesting Kuhnemann’s action isn’t too dissimilar to India’s pace icon Jasprit Bumrah. Paine didn’t welcome an accusation, as big as ‘throwing’ being made against the young Australian spinner. “I think there’s a bit of flexion, not dissimilar to a Jasprit Bumrah,” Paine said.

The former Australia captain even said that the ‘throwing’ accusation is extremely serious as the player, in a way, is being accused of ‘cheating’.

“I think he’d be flat as a tack I’d imagine. In cricket, being accused of throwing is not a great mark to have against your name. You’re being accused in a way, of cheating.”

“I imagine in such a public forum, that would be very hard for him to deal with that. He’s probably walked off that day on top of the world, and by the time he’s back in the hotel room he’s at absolute rock bottom because he’s fighting, if you like, to save his career.”

Paine even said that Kuhnemann was put into the line of fire as he was an ‘easy target’ for the officials.

“I just don’t get it,” he added. “Go back through the history of cricket and we’ve had guys who have played hundreds of Test matches combined who have (much worse actions) than Matthew Kuhnemann. I feel like it’s a bit of a token ‘We’ll look like we’re policing this, even though we have never before,’ and Kuhnemann has been the unlucky one.”

Kuhnemann was reported for a suspect bowling action during the second match of their ICC World Test Championship series against Sri Lanka in Galle. To determine the legality of his bowling action, he will undergo an independent assessment at an ICC-accredited testing facility.

Former Australia cricketer Steve O’Keefe urged Cricket Australia to adopt a more proactive approach in the future, as the left-arm spinner is unable to participate in international cricket until the assessment is concluded.

Kuhnemann, however, is free to play domestic cricket for Tasmania before the test is completed.

With IANS Inputs

When Tim Paine jokingly asked Rishabh Pant to babysit his children, it was seen by fans as a light-hearted moment of banter between the two cricketers. However, in a video that has gone viral lately, Pant can be seen at his playful best with the young daughter of a fan in Australia. As per the video, Pant was spotted at a mall in Adelaide, where the India wicket-keeper batter took time out to play with the fan’s daughter, in a wholesome interaction.

Watch: Pant’s adorable babysitting video with fan’s daughter

What a guy is this Rishabh pant yaar.

Today Rishabh pant spotted in a mall in Adelaide, There he met a fan And the way he playing with that fan’s little kid.pic.twitter.com/5G73YZIQem

— (@rushiii_12) December 9, 2024

In the video, Pant can be seen playing with the young girl, first when she’s in her pram and then taking her into his arms later on. A man – seemingly the young girl’s father – is seen enjoying the moment too.

During the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2018/19, a moment of sledging turned into a joke between Pant and Tim Paine, with the latter jokingly asking Pant to babysit his children. Later, Pant would even take a picture with Paine’s children, with Paine’s wife Bonnie calling him the “best babysitter”.

India vs Australia, 3rd Test

Pant has failed to fully get going so far in the first two Tests. Despite looking sharp and aggressive, and playing his fair share of fancy shots, Pant has only managed a best score of 37 so far.

In the third Test, Pant returns to the ground where he became a legend. Pant was at the center of India’s victory at the Gabba in 2021, where he played a sparkling unbeaten 89 to help his team chase down a target of 328.

That Test also helped India seal a famous 2-1 series win over Australia, their second successive series win Down Under.

The ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy is evenly poised at 1-1, with both sides battling for a series win that will massively aid their chances of making the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final.

Gautam Gambhir’s “prickly” coaching style may not bode well for the Indian team, and it could be a “long summer” if they fail to start strong in the Perth Test on November 22, warns former Australian captain Tim Paine. Jolted by an unprecedented 0-3 home series loss to New Zealand, the Gambhir-coached side now face the daunting task of defending the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in a five-match series against Australia, starting with the Perth Test.

“Their last two series wins out here they had Ravi Shastri who was fantastic. He created a great environment, the players were energised, they played with passion, he sold them the dream and motivated them in a really light-hearted enjoyable way,” Paine said on SEN Radio.

“They (India) have gone to a new coach now that is really prickly, really competitive — and that not to say that’s not a good thing and a good way to coach — but my concern is that it’s not a great fit for the Indian cricket team.

“If your coach is the first one to crack in a press conference after being asked a simple question, it could be a really long summer for Gautam Gambhir if India don’t get off to a good start on Perth.” Paine’s comments stemmed from a recent media interaction where Gambhir took issue with Ricky Ponting’s remarks on Virat Kohli’s struggling form, saying that the Australian legend need not be concerned about Indian cricket.

Ponting, in turn, described Gambhir “quite a prickly character”.

‘Gambhir, India’s biggest concern’

Paine felt Gambhir’s barb was a sign that he may not be able to stay calm under pressure which would be India’s “biggest concern” — even more than the struggling form of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

“I don’t love it. It’s not a good sign I think, because all he was asked was a very simple question. I think he’s maybe looking at Ricky still as someone he’s playing against,” Paine said.

“But Ricky is a commentator now — he’s paid to give an opinion, and his opinion was spot on. Virat has been sliding, it is a concern, absolutely.

“But for me now, the biggest concern for India right now isn’t Rohit Sharma’s batting, isn’t Virat Kohli’s batting, it’s their coach and his ability to stay calm under pressure,” he added.

Former Australia skipper Tim Paine has backed young wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel and believes that the latter could be very useful to the Indian side in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Jurel has only played three matches and was mainly included in India’s touring party for the five-match Test series in Australia as a backup for regular keeper Rishabh Pant, the 23-year-old impressed during a recent match for India A against Australia A in Melbourne.

Jurel caught the eye of Paine when he looked composed contributing scores of 80 and 68 batting at No.6 in the low-scoring MCG contest and the former Australia captain – who coached Australia A in the match – thinks the right-hander will play as a specialist batter in the opening Test of the summer in Perth.

“I don’t know if you saw much of the highlights, but after seeing him bat (against Australia A) – even though he’s a wicket-keeper, from what I’ve seen on this tour and from India’s batting in the last couple of months, I’d be staggered if he doesn’t play. He scored one of the more polished 80s I’ve seen, and we were all sitting around as staff of Cricket Australia and thought, ‘Wow, this guy can seriously play’,” Paine told Australian radio station SEN on Tuesday as quoted by the ICC.

Jurel made his Test debut against England in Rajkot earlier this year, claiming a catch and a stumping when deputising for Pant while also contributing 46 runs with the bat after coming in at No.8 during the comprehensive India victory.

A composed innings of 90 followed in the ensuing Test in Ranchi, with Jurel averaging an impressive 63.33 from three Test appearances against England earlier this year.

Paine knows that Jurel will face a step up in class if selected to play the crucial ICC World Test Championship clash against Australia, but thinks he is up to the challenge and will be suited by the fast conditions expected in Perth.

“He’s 23 and he’s played three Test matches, but he looked a class above all of his teammates, to be fair, and handled the pace and bounce really well, which can be unusual for an Indian player,” the former right-hand batter said.

“Keep an eye out for him this summer. I think he’s going to impress a lot of Australian fans. Even though it’s going to be another step up against the big three (Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood), he looks like he has the game to play Test cricket,” the 39-year-old added.

Former Australian Test captain Tim Paine has expressed frustration with the heavy criticism aimed at Australia’s ODI team following their recent 1-2 series defeat to Pakistan. Despite a promising start with a win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the Aussies stumbled in the subsequent matches, suffering comprehensive nine-wicket and eight-wicket losses at the Adelaide Oval and Optus Stadium, respectively. These defeats have sparked discussions over the state of Australia’s ODI squad, with some commentators labelling the series loss as a “disaster.”

Speaking on SEN Tassie, Paine voiced his discontent with what he sees as an exaggerated reaction, particularly from established cricket analysts.

“That annoyed me. People were saying, ‘Oh, I can’t believe how bad the Australian cricket team are,’ and these are cricket commentators—world-class commentators—saying, ‘I can’t believe what I’m watching; this is the World Cup holders’. But it’s not. The World Cup holders are sitting on the couch getting ready for a Test series.”

Paine explained that the absence of key players, including Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, and Josh Hazlewood, who missed the series entirely, along with Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and Mitchell Starc, who only played in parts of the series, made a significant difference.

These absences were due to the players’ need to prepare for the upcoming Test summer and other critical red-ball engagements, including an important series against India. Paine highlighted that the team on the field wasn’t representative of the World Cup-winning unit but was instead filled with emerging talents learning to play at the top level.

“We’re blooding some youth to give them experience at the international level whilst the big boys get ready for two hugely important series – one in Test cricket and one in white-ball. Relax. It’s okay,” he said.

The World Cup-winning side’s absence was deeply felt, as Australia managed scores of only 163 and 140 while batting first in the second and third ODIs, respectively.

Usman Khawaja in action© AFP

Ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 between India and Australia, former Australia skipper Tim Paine expressed his feelings as right-arm seamer Mohammed Shami is set to miss the upcoming series. Following the end of the ODI World Cup 2023, the India pacer suffered an ankle injury, which forced him to stay away from the field since November last year. “Shami is going to be a huge difference, Bumrah, there is so much on his shoulders. If he gets hurt, then it’s curtains for me,” Paine said while talking on The Grade Cricketer podcast.

The most awaited Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia will begin on November 22, with the first Test at Perth.

The second Test, scheduled for December 6 to 10 at Adelaide Oval, will feature the exciting day-night format under the stadium’s lights. After that, fans will turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test, which will be held from December 14 to 18.

The customary Boxing Day Test, set for December 26 to 30 at Melbourne’s storied Melbourne Cricket Ground, will bring the series to its penultimate stage.

The fifth and final Test, to take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, will serve as the series climax, promising a dramatic conclusion to an exciting contest.

Last week, Shami was not included in the squad as India announced their team for the upcoming five-match Test series in Australia.

Opener Rohit Sharma will be leading the side and right-arm seamer Jasprit Bumrah will be his deputy.

India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

Former Australian captain Tim Paine revealed that former opener David Warner was not serious and barely joking as he offered to come out of retirement from international cricket to help Australia end their hunt for an opener ahead of the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India. Days back, Warner had offered to come back to the international cricket if Australia could not find the right opening partner for Usman Khawaja due to Steve Smith sliding down to number four after mixed performances as an opener and all-rounder Cameron Green being out of the Test summer due to a back injury.

But Paine, now speaking to SEN, suggested that Warner was just joking around and even had remarked “I got them good” in a conversation with the former Aussie wicketkeeper.

“He was not dead serious, that is Davey. How do I know? Because I spoke to him, that is how. Is that good enough for the people?,” said Paine to SEN.

“He said, ‘I got them good, haha’. Of course, that’s Davey’s thing. People say, ‘You’re not serious’, I am dead serious, but he is not (about returning to cricket),” he concluded.

Warner retired from international cricket after Australia’s Super Eight exit in the ICC T20 World Cup tournament this year in West Indies and USA.

In 112 Tests for Australia, Warner scored 8,786 runs at an average of 44.59, with 26 centuries and 37 fifties in 205 innings. His best score is 335*. He is the fifth-highest run-getter for Australia in Tests.

Playing 161 ODIs, Warner scored 6,932 runs at an average of 45.30 and a strike rate of above 97, making 22 centuries and 33 fifties in 159 innings. His best score is 179. He is the sixth-highest run-getter in ODIs for Australia.

Warner is Australia’s highest run-getter in T20Is, scoring 3,277 runs in 110 matches at an average of 33.43 and a strike rate of 142.47. He scored a century and 28 fifties, with the best score of 100*.

With 18,995 runs in 383 games, 49 centuries, 98 fifties, two ICC Cricket World Cup titles, one ICC T20 World Cup and ICC World Test Championship title each, Warner retired this year as Australia’s second-highest run-getter and one of the greatest all-format openers of all time.

Warner is a part of the teams which won the 2015 and 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup and the ICC World Test Championship 2023, making him a multi-time world champion.

Coming to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the first Test will take place at Perth from November 22 onwards

India have had some great results in Australia in the last few years.© Twitter

Rohit Sharma (L) and Virat Kohli© AFP