Tim Paine says the current Australian team will pose stiff challenge for India Down Under

Tim Paine has said that Australia with the presence of batting icons Steve Smith and David Warner will be challenging for India. The Aussies under Paine had lost the previous Test series against Kohli & Co. 2-1 during the 2018/19 season and by the virtue of that win, India registered their first-ever Test series win on Australian soil. Smith & Warner could not feature in that series as the duo was handed a 12-month suspension for their alleged involvement in the infamous ball-tampering scandal in South Africa earlier that year. The duo was also stripped from captaincy and vice-captaincy respectively.

It was because of their unavailability that the Aussies could not post big scores on the board in the last home series and their presence is what makes the difference this time around according to Paine.

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'We are a better team now': Tim Paine

While speaking to Hindustan Times, the Australian Test captain went on to say he reckons that the current top-ranked Test side are a better team now than they were then. Recalling the previous Test series against India two years ago, the wicket-keeper batsman mentioned a lot of the time in that four-match series, the Aussies did not get enough runs on the board to put the Virat Kohli-led side under any pressure. 

The veteran stumper then added they (the Australian team) just feel that if they can get some scoreboard pressure on and score the runs to win the Test matches and once they know that they need to score in order to win Test matches, then their bowling attack does not let them down.

Australia have been a side to reckon in red-ball cricket in the last one year. The top-ranked Test batsman had amassed over 700 runs in Ashes 2019 in England despite a hostile reception from the English crowd. Warner, on the other hand, had scored an amazing triple century during the home series against Pakistan in November last year.

India Tour of Australia 2020

As per various reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sources have confirmed that the schedule has been agreed upon by both the cricket boards i.e. the BCCI as well as Cricket Australia (CA). However, the decision has been made taking into consideration that Australia's COVID-19 situation does not worsen, and should that happen, then the one venue option might be brought back.

Meanwhile, it has also been reported that the second Test match at the Adelaide Oval will be a Day-Night affair while the last two matches will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Sydney Cricket Ground respectively.

Can India create history once again?

India had beaten Australia when they had toured Australia in the 2018-19 season 2-1 in the four-match series to win their maiden Test series on Australian soil.  It remains to be seen whether the Virat Kohli-led side will succeed in retaining the iconic Border-Gavaskar Trophy by getting the better of a full-strength Australian side that features the likes of Steve Smith, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, etc.

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(Image Courtesy: AP)