IND vs AUS | Australia's bowling changes and field placements could've made a difference, reckons Sunil Gavaskar

IND vs AUS | Australia's bowling changes and field placements could've made a difference, reckons Sunil Gavaskar

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Paine's captaincy came under the scanner after a poor outing in Sydney

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Sunil Gavaskar has torn into Tim Paine, stating that bowling changes and sharp field placements would have made a huge difference to the final result, as India drew the game. He also insisted that Paine was not upto the mark and could be replaced soon if his poor form behind the stump continues.

Australian skipper Tim Paine was the talk of the town after his performance throughout the third Test against India in Sydney. With the bat, the right-handed batsman failed in the first innings before his keeping let him off in the field. In the second innings, he did make a mark with the bat but on the field, his drops ensured that Australia only could draw the game after being in a position of dominance. 

Since then, the wicketkeeper has come under the scanner, not just for his performance but for the attitude that he displayed on the field. While he dropped the ‘F-bomb’ during day three, he was always at the umpire during the Test. In addition, his inability to attack the Indian team after they were reduced to 101/3, highlighted how the Test changed course. Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar reckoned that bowling changes and field placements could've made a difference to the result. 

"At the end of the day, the Indians had the last laugh. R Ashwin had the last laugh for whatever Tim Paine was saying. I don't know I am not an Australian selector, but his days as captain are numbered. If you allow the Indian team to bat 130-odd overs without getting wickets, this is a very good Australian attack. The bowling changes, the field placements, everything could have made a difference to the result," Sunil Gavaskar told India Today, reported HT.

On day five, Paine had as many as three drops, with the Tasmanian dropping Rishabh Pant twice during the morning session, in what was a game-changing moment. Gavaskar stated that he wouldn’t surprised if the Australian management decides to get rid of Paine as the skipper after his show in the Test series. 

"But Tim Paine was more interested in talking to the batsman rather than his field placing and bowling changes. So I won't be surprised if there is a change in the Australian captaincy after the series is over. If you drop simple catches, Rishabh Pant got two edges, they were not difficult catches, the last one which he missed off Vihari was also which he could have left to the first slip. He was a little bit disturbed, his concentration was not thereafter that little episode with R Ashwin," he added.

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