Australia improving with every Test, believes Paine
Ahead of the Boxing Day Test, Tim Paine believes Australia are raising their level with each game that passes.
The hosts head into the third Test with India having levelled the four-match series at 1-1 with victory by 146 runs in Perth - their first win in the longest form since the ball-tampering scandal that rocked the side in March.
The fall-out from that saga was lengthy and far-reaching, with former captain Steve Smith, his deputy David Warner and opening batsman Cameron Bancroft all suspended for between nine and 12 months.
Paine oversaw a 1-0 defeat to Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in October but, having bounced back impressively after losing the opening Test with India, the skipper feels the signs are increasingly positive.
"I don't feel like we are on top of them. We feel like we are getting better with every Test," Paine said ahead of the series resuming at the MCG.
"We are improving with every game but we need to keep stacking up good days and play good Test cricket.
"If we can do that for the next four or five days I think we will be in the thick of it again.
"Certainly when you have an inexperienced team and you get a big win like in Perth against the number one team in the world, guys are going to grow in confidence a little bit and come to Melbourne feeling better than when we did to Perth."
