"Tim Paine and Australia will confront India again in Brisbane" - Kevin Pietersen
Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen believes Tim Paine and the Australian team will sledge India again in the fourth Test at the Gabba. According to him, the visitors should get used to the jibes as it is in the Australian "DNA".
Test skipper Tim Paine came in for criticism for his abusive banter against Ravichandran Ashwin on the final day of the Sydney Test. The wicket-keeper-batsman called a press conference on the next day and apologized for his misconduct.
However, writing for Betway, Kevin Pietersen said that regardless of what happens between the matches, it is the Australian way to play hard and sledge.
"If Tim Paine gets himself into another confrontation in the fourth Test, he will go again – regardless of what he says in between Test matches. It is in his and his team’s DNA, so you have to deal with it," said Kevin Pietersen.
The 40-year-old said in this regard,
"There’s always going to be confrontation in a big series like Australia v India. There have been confrontations in the past, there will be confrontations in the final Test match of the series, and there will be confrontations when the teams meet again in the future. It’s never going to change, particularly when Australia are involved. Australians play in a certain way," Pietersen added.
Since the incident, Australia coach Justin Langer has also rallied behind his captain. On Wednesday, Langer called Paine an "outstanding leader" who has his full support.
'Silly' to think this Australian team is different from previous ones: Kevin Pietersen
Under the tutelage of Justin Langer, the Australian team had publically vowed to change their outlook after the infamous ball-tampering saga.
However, Kevin Pietersen insists this notion is silly as the Aussies will do everything to win, especially in home conditions.
"Having played against Australia on numerous occasions, you have to accept that you’re going to get sledged – particularly Down Under, where the temperatures are warm and you’re in a fiercely competitive nation. They’re desperate to win, and they’ll do everything they can within the laws of the game to win – although sometimes they are pushing what is and isn’t in the laws of the game. My own view is that players can take sledging as far as they like without getting personal. But while there is clearly a debate as to whether Tim Paine and Australia went too far on the fifth day at Sydney, this was always going to happen. The idea that this Australia team is different from previous ones, that they won’t do everything they can on the field to gain an advantage, is silly", said Kevin Pietersen.
The final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will start at the Gabba from 15th January.