Tim Paine says Australians going soft on Virat Kohli for hefty IPL deals claim 'not true'

Former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke recently said that Australian players have gone soft in their approach while playing against India. In an appearance on an Australian-based morning sports show, the legendary batsman said that Australian cricketers have stopped sledging Indian players in order to bag lucrative deals in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He also singled out Indian captain Virat Kohli and why Australian players may not want to sledge him so that they can be picked in his Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) side.

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Tim Paine reacts to latest Michael Clarke claims

Australian Test captain Tim Paine has downplayed recent claims made by Michael Clarke. In an interview with ESPNCricinfo, Tim Paine said that every Australian who has a ball or a bat in hand tries their best to win matches for Australia. He also stated that he is not sure if someone went easy on the Indian captain at any point. As seen in the recent documentary series The Test, both Tim Paine and Virat Kohli were involved in an on-field banter even though their initial plan was not to instigate a fight with the Indian captain. Tim Paine further said in the interview that their plan was not to provoke any altercation because they believed it was when Virat Kohli plays at his absolute best.

Also Read | Tim Paine Opens Up About His On-field Sledging Incident With Virat Kohli In 2018

While Tim Paine is not involved with any IPL franchise at the moment, he defended IPL-participating Australian players by saying they try to win matches every time they go out in the middle. He ensured that his Australian bowlers will continue to give their “absolute all” whenever they will bowl to Virat Kohli.

Also Read | IPL Deals Main Reason Behind Australia Not Sledging Virat Kohli Post-2015: Michael Clarke

IPL 2020 postponed

In wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the highly-anticipated IPL 2020 season was recently postponed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) until further notice. Several Australian cricketers like David Warner, Pat Cummins, Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell were slated to represent their respective franchises. The upcoming Indian T20 event was dubbed by many cricketing experts as an ideal preparation campaign for this year’s T20 World Cup in Australia.

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