Australia vs India, Third Test: 5 talking points of Day 2

#4 Tim Paine’s captaincy

Tim Paine continues to evolve as a skipper

The most underappreciated part of this test match so far has been the role of Tim Paine in restricting the run flow of Indian batsmen. During the first two sessions of this test match, he was more aggressive with his field placements and wanted to force a mistake from the Indian batsman.

But once he read the pitch, he understood that he can’t blindly attack and let India run away with the match. His field placements were spot on during the second day of the match.

He specifically chose to be a bit conservative against Virat Kohli as he knew that on a flat deck the Indian skipper can counter-attack and take the match away from Australia. He also rotated the bowlers in an effective manner and was ably supported by a disciplined bowling performance from the Aussie bowlers.

On paper, Paine’s captaincy in this test match might not look impressive but his tactics meant that the runs never flowed freely in the Indian innings.