Paine concerned about Gambhir’s inability to stay calm under pressure
“Their last two series wins out here they had Ravi Shastri who was fantastic,” Paine said.
Australia captain Tim Paine on Wednesday confirmed that opener David Warner would play the third Test against India in Sydney after missing out the first two due to a groin injury.
Apart from the two Tests of the four-match series, Warner had also skipped the entire ODI series after picking up the injury during the T20I series against India.
“Obviously with David (Warner) playing and potentially more, there are some conversations that need to be had first. Davey’s been awesome, he brings really high intensity and fills guys around him with confidence,” Paine told the media on Wednesday morning.
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“If he gets in and gets away, he puts the pressure back on the opposition better than most particularly the opening batsmen. Regardless who we are playing against, we are a better team by a margin when David Warner is in it by the runs he scores. He protects our middle-order. We have Marnus (Labuschagne), Steve (Smith) coming in when the bowlers are a bit tired then obviously it is a huge advantage for us. David has got a huge role for us and he has played well throughout career,” he added.
The 36-year-old Australia skipper also said that Warner brings a lot of energy and impact to the side and has an impact on the team with it.
“He’s a player that you love having on your side. He’s always got plenty to say, really energetic, very professional and I’ve always loved playing,” said Paine.
“He’s a player in this team guys love to have in the side, so he’s made an instant impact with that energy and intensity that he brings,” he added.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy series is currently level at 1-1 with Australia winning the first Test in Adelaide while India registering a comeback in the second in Melbourne.
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