IND v AUS 2020: "He tried to bat like Greg Chappell all the time" - How Ian Healy's advice helped Tim Paine
Former Australia wicketkeeper Ian Healy had recently advised Tim Paine to bat more freely, which helped the latter in the first Test match against India in Adelaide. Healy felt Paine was too cautious earlier like Greg Chappell.
Tim Paine's crucial knock of 73* was the highest run scored by an Australian in the first innings. After taking a lead of 53 runs, the Indian team was bowled out for 36 runs in the second innings, which handed Australia a comfortable eight-wicket win.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Ian Healy explained how he urged Tim Paine to put the bad balls away.
''He tried to bat like Greg Chappell all the time. The batting needs to be natural and free. Bad ball on the legs - put it away, cut shot - get it on. He was blocking bad balls last year and just surviving very much like a lot of the players did upfront in Adelaide," Ian Healy said.
“All I said to him was just put bad balls away, look for them and put them away. If it’s a clip to leg, clip it hard. If it’s a cut shot, go at it. Bat like a keeper, and that’s what he’s done.'' Healy added further.
Tim Paine was adjudged the Man of the Match in the first Test against India for his attacking innings of 73, which had ten boundaries. Paine's strike rate of 73.7 was also impressive, especially when most of the other batsmen found scoring runs hard on the Adelaide surface.
Tim Paine has led Australia in 20 Tests so far
Tim Paine took over the Australian captaincy when the Aussies were going through a crisis after the ball-tampering saga. There were even some critics who felt he wasn't good enough to make the Australian XI. However, the 36-year-old has undoubtedly managed to win over some of his critics with his recent performances.