Sunil Gavaskar's opinion doesn't affect me: Tim Paine

Sunil Gavaskar

Australia captain Tim Paine wouldn't engage in a war of words with Sunil Gavaskar, saying the legendary Indian's critical assessment of his leadership doesn't bother him one bit. On the last day of the Sydney Test, Paine tried to unsettle Ravichandran Ashwin by sledging the Indian spinner and Gavaskar promptly termed it unbefitting of national team captain whose days as the man in charge seemed to be numbered.

Asked if he had heard about Gavaskar's comments of him, Paine said: "I had, but I am not going to go into it and get back and forth with Sunny Gavaskar, I think I am not going to win that." Paine in a curt manner put forth that Gavaskar doesn't bother him. "He is entitled to his opinion. It doesn't affect us one iota. It is adding to the Test match, which is great. So Sunny can keep saying what he wants to say at the end of the day, it is absolutely nothing to do with it."

Paine has apologised for crossing the line and said that from now on, he would like to play the way he knows and that's doing his job with a smile. "Throughout my career, I have done a pretty good job of being relaxed 99 percent of the times. That's when I have played my best cricket. Other day, I thought I got caught up in the moment," Paine said.

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