Australia's Test captain Tim Paine has said that Sunil Gavaskar is entitled to his opinion, and that it does not affect the Australian team. Gavaskar had criticised Paine's captaincy and also posed doubts on his future as the skipper of the Australian team in the longest format of the game.
The comments from Gavaskar came after the drawn Test in Sydney, where the Indian team played out 130 overs in the fourth innings, losing only three wickets throughout the final day of the match.
"I am not going to get into it. Going back and forth with Sunil Gavaskar, do not think I am going to win that. He is entitled to his opinion, it does not affect us one bit, if anything it is adding to the Test match. Sunny can keep saying what he wants to say, but in the end, we do not have anything to do with him," Paine said in a virtual press conference.
Gavaskar had also criticised about Paine's chattering from behind the stumps. In frustration, the 36-year-old tried to exchange some words with Ashwin to disturb his focus during the last session and ended up dropping Vihari after that.
"I just think I will handle it differently, last Test I let it get under my skin, I have admitted that. I will concentrate on myself and leading my team. This game is about controlling what we can control. If we can do that, we will be in a good position. If you look at my entire career, I have done a good job of staying relaxed. At times, you feel you get caught up in the moment," Paine further said.
The four-match series is currently level at 1-1. While Australia won the first Test in Adelaide, India made a brilliant comeback to seal victory in the second match in Melbourne.
The Indian batsmen put on a herculean display despite facing injuries to draw the third Test in Sydney. The fourth Test will begin on January 15 in Gabba at Brisbane.
