'Was asked number of things': Tim Paine clarifies his 'creating sideshows' comments
Follow UsStory highlights
Paine's remarks did not go down well with fans as they called his statement 'lame' and 'tasteless' and many felt that the Aussie was making excuses for a disappointing loss.
Australia's Test captain Tim Paine received a lot of heat for his recent comments on Team India. Paine recently commented that the Indian cricket team are good at 'niggling' and 'creating sideshows'.
On Thursday, Tim Paine was asked by reporters about the series defeat to Team India in Australia to which he said: "Part of the challenge of playing against India is they're very good at niggling you and trying to distract you with stuff that doesn't really matter and there were times in that series where we fell for that," Paine had told news.com.au.
"The classic example was when they said they weren't going to the Gabba so we didn't know where we were going. They're very good at creating these sideshows and we took our eye off the ball."
Paine's remarks did not go down well with fans as they called his statement 'lame' and 'tasteless' and many felt that the Aussie was making excuses for a disappointing loss.
However, Tim Paine clarified his comments on the 'Gilly and Goss podcast'. He said: "I was asked a number of things, and one of those was talking about the challenges of playing against India. One of them was the distraction they can create. There was a lot of talk that they weren't going to Brisbane. They're always changing gloves and bringing out physios and all that can get on your nerves. Just that was one of the things that probably distracted me and took my eye of the ball at times."
"But also, I did say that they simply outplayed us and that they deserved to win but they left that one out. The Indian fans have been slamming me on social media. They say that I'm making excuses again but it's all good fun."
He went on to talk about the Indian fans, who trolled the Aussie captain a number of times in the past.
"I love the Indian fans. I don't mind getting a bit of stick, particularly when you deserve it. They ripped me off when I dropped those catches, I thought that was totally fair. Look, I love the passion, I love how much they love cricket. I love how much they interact and for some people, it is a positive interaction, but most of the time they are into me. But I don’t mind that," Paine added.