Australia skipper Tim Paine has blamed rain on the first two days as well as his own below-par wicket-keeping for ace off-spinner Nathan Lyon not being able to take a bagful of wickets as expected on the fifth day and take Australia to victory in the drawn third Test against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Lyon could pick only two wickets -- Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant -- as he struggled to run through the Indian batting that held out for 131 overs to escape with a fighting draw on a SCG wicket that saw no help for the bowlers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Paine on Tuesday said that rain on the first two days ensured that the wicket held up and there were no cracks on the fifth day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I thought Nathan bowled very well. He did everything he could to open the game for us. I let him down behind the stumps which certainly didn't help him. I thought his bowling was fantastic. The wicket on that side unfortunately didn't break up. There were massive foot-holes to the left but not to the right. I think it was probably due to rain on Day 1 and 2. It didn't break up as much as the normal SCG wicket would,"<\/strong> said Paine in a virtual press conference.<\/p>\r\n\r\n "I thought Nathan's efforts to try and win us game were sensational,"<\/strong> he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Paine also said that his wicket-keeping was below par. He blamed his own 'tensed, grumpy and agitated' mood for the below-par show.<\/p>\r\n\r\n The 36-year-old dropped Pant twice early off the bowling of Lyon. Towards the end, he dropped Hanuma Vihari as well.<\/p>\r\n\r\n "When I came off the field yesterday, all I was worried about was the dropped catches. Normally for a wicketkeeper, I looked up at the technical stuff, it was all okay. I looked at my mood, it was tensed and not being focused on my No. 1 job which is to catch the ball. I was distracted, agitated and a little bit grumpy at times,"<\/strong> he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n "For me, as I said the best version for Tim Paine playing cricket as wicket-keeping and captaining is one with a smile and enjoying the game. When I am like that, I am very, very good keeper. Yesterday...when your arms and hands are a bit stiff then they don't go in, that was a big learning for us,"<\/strong> he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Paine also said that he has been getting better as a cricketer over the last six months and Monday's show was an aberration.<\/p>\r\n\r\n "I am getting better as a cricketer. Yesterday was a poor day. I can put my finger on what went wrong yesterday and when you can do that, you can improve and get better,"<\/strong> said the Australian skipper.<\/p>\r\n\r\n The four-match series is currently tied at 1-1 and the decider will begin from Friday at The Gabba in Brisbane.<\/p>\r\n",
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"alt_img": " AUS vs IND: Tim Paine Blames Rain For Lyon's Failure In Sydney Test",
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