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Will Pant get a game? Will India swap Jadhav for Pandey? They have questions to answer

The Preview by Deivarayan Muthu10-Feb-20206:09

Can India find an answer to Ross Taylor?

Big picture

As if injuries to Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry weren’t enough, New Zealand were hampered by absence of Scott Kuggleijn and Mitchell Santner for the second ODI. Tim Southee, too, battled an illness while Ish Sodhi had been released to play a four-dayer against India A in Lincoln.Southee soldiered on and meticulously took down India captain Virat Kohli, but had to leave the field after finishing his ten overs. So depleted were New Zealand that they had to call their assistant coach Luke Ronchi as a substitute fielder. Yet, they dug deep enough to overcome a batting collapse and a late scare from Ravindra Jadeja to sew up the series.But problems – even outside fitness reasons – persist. Ross Taylor has fired in both the ODIs, but the rest of the middle-order has faltered. Williamson’s return at Bay Oval, his home ground, could remedy some of those issues. He had a proper workout on the eve of the game, and is set to resume his mouth-watering tussle against Jasprit Bumrah. Santner and Kuggleijn are also coming along well, according to bowling coach Shane Jurgensen, while Sodhi has flown back to Mount Maunganui and rejoined the squad along with fast bowler Blair Tickner.After India had conceded the series in Auckland, Kohli reckoned that the team management might use this dead rubber to test out their bench. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, who hasn’t played a single match so far on tour, might get a look-in on Tuesday. Will there be some room in the middle order for Manish Pandey too? Allrounder Shivam Dube is also among India’s reserves and hasn’t played in the team’s last nine ODIs.

Form guide

New Zealand WWTWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India LLWWLKedar Jadhav works one off his hip•BCCI

In the spotlight

Colin de Grandhomme din’t bowl in two of the three T20Is he played, but has been pretty tidy with the ball in the two ODIs. After removing Prithvi Shaw with an outswinger in the first game, he tricked KL Rahul into cutting a ball that was neither short or wide enough for the shot. His batting form, though, has cooled off and he has floated down the order as the hosts have looked to maintain a left-right combination. Can he land the mighty blows with the bat on Tuesday?There has been plenty of scrutiny over Kedar Jadhav‘s role in the current set-up. The 34-year old has played some charming cameos while coming in with just a few deliveries left, but has bowled all of one over with the ball since the World Cup. Jadhav has one more opportunity in Mount Maunganui before the new selection panel picks the squad for the three-match ODI series at home against South Africa in March.

Team news

Having been severely depleted by injuries and illness, New Zealand have called in reinforcements in the form of Sodhi and Tickner.New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Henry Nicholls, 3 Kane Williamson (capt.), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Jimmy Neesham, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Kyle Jamieson, 10 Ish Sodhi/Mitchell Santner, 11 Hamish Bennett/Scott KuggleijnHaving given Mohammed Shami a break at Eden Park, India might look to rest Bumrah ahead of the Test series and bring back Shami. And it remains to be seen whether Pant will take over the gloves from Rahul.India (probable): 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul/Rishabh Pant, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Kedar Jadhav/Manish Pandey/Shivam Dube, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal/Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Navdeep Saini, 11 Mohammed Shami/Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

The Bay Oval rolled out a fairly slow track the last time these two sides met in an ODI at this venue in 2019. The T20I game that the Bay Oval had hosted last week was also similarly slow and provided some assistance to the bowlers. The weather is likely to be nice and pleasant for the duration of the match.

Stats and trivia

• The last time India were whitewashed in a bilateral ODI series of three or more matches was in 1997 when they lost 3-0 in Sri Lanka.*
• India have played two ODIs at this venue and have won both.
• Henry Nicholls has made 315 runs in 10 ODI innings as an opener at an average of 35 and strike rate of 70. His last three scores at the top read: 41, 78 and 55.

Quotes

“The T20 series didn’t go according to plan, but we knew we weren’t too far off. We’ve played some good cricket in the one-dayers…although we’re missing a couple of guys, as a whole, the one-day side has been tracking pretty good.”
“I think Taylor’s batting really well. Once he’s set he can play on the leg side like he’s a God. We have to be precise bowling to him.”

No decision reached on Adam Zampa and Moises Henriques’ deals for T20 Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-2020Essex have announced that Peter Siddle’s contract has been deferred to 2021 on account of the coronavirus pandemic.Siddle, 35, had been due to spend a third season as the club’s overseas player in the County Championship and the Royal London Cup, but following the postponement of the campaign and with uncertainty over international travel, it was mutually agreed that his contract should be pushed back a year. He is the latest in a series of player to have had a planned county stint cancelled or deferred as clubs look to cut costs.ALSO READ: Handscomb left frustrated with Middlesex contract ‘on hold’“It’s a shame I won’t be returning to Chelmsford this year as I was really looking forward to the season with the Eagles, but there are plenty of things more important than cricket going on in the world at the moment,” Siddle said.”In light of the current situation, it makes sense for me to come back over for the 2021 season when hopefully we’re back to normal and playing cricket again. It feels like a long way off at the moment, but I’m really excited to see all the boys and play at the County Ground again.”Siddle owed his Test recall to an impressive 2018 season with Essex, when he took 37 Championship wickets at 16.40 across seven games, and starred again in 2019 when his 34 wickets in eight matches earned him a spot in Australia’s Ashes squad.Siddle’s compatriots Adam Zampa and Moises Henriques were due to be Essex’s overseas players for this season’s T20 Blast, but no decision has yet been reached on their contracts. As things stand, the competition is due to be played as scheduled, though it is likely to be postponed. The ECB will discuss contingency plans at Thursday’s board meeting.”The postponed start to the season is going to have an impact on overseas players in the squad,” said Derek Bowden, the club’s chief executive. “We are constantly reviewing the situation with our other overseas players in light of when various competitions will commence, together with their own personal safety and ability to travel.”

World War 2 veteran to be invited into dressing room when England next play a Test

George Dobell30-Apr-2020Colonel Tom Moore, a World War 2 veteran whose fundraising efforts during the coronavirus crisis have been lauded throughout the UK, has been presented with an England cap and invited to address the Test side to mark his 100th birthday.Colonel Moore captured the imagination of much of the nation when, weeks ahead of his birthday, he embarked on a sponsored walk around his garden to raise funds for NHS charities. Inspired by the work of NHS workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, Colonel Moore aimed to raise £1000 by completing 100 laps of his garden – 25m a time – before the end of April. He walks with the help of a frame.But that funding target was soon left far behind and, on April 30, the day of his 100th birthday, the total passed £30m. It is believed to be the greatest amount of money raised in an individual charity walk. Also in April, he became the oldest person to have a number-one single in the UK.ALSO READ: Covid crisis needs to get ‘drastically better’ before England play again – AliKnown as Captain Moore, he was promoted to the rank of honorary colonel as part of his birthday celebrations. His birthday was also marked by a flypast by Spitfire and Hurricane from the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight which made three passes of his house.Former England captain, Michael Vaughan, virtually presented Colonel Moore with an England Test cap on BBC Breakfast. Calling him “the nation’s heartbeat”, Vaughan thanked Colonel Moore for his fundraising efforts and dubbed him “an honorary member of the England cricket team”. The cap was passed on in person by Colonel Moore’s grandson, Benji, who is in isolation with his grandfather and other family members.”That’s marvellous, isn’t it?” Colonel Moore replied.Current England Test captain, Joe Root, has also been in touch to invite Colonel Moore to address his team in the dressing room ahead of a Test.”The ECB would like to wish Captain Tom Moore the warmest of congratulations on his 100th birthday,” an ECB spokesperson said. “The Captain is a great supporter of Yorkshire and England cricket and it is an honour that he holds the team up in such high regard. The England cricket teams are in awe of him, his humility and the unprecedented fundraising he has achieved over the past few weeks.”The England Test captain Joe Root has confirmed directly with Captain Moore and his family that he can address the team personally in the dressing room before a Test match. It would be one of greatest honours bestowed on the team to hear directly from him once we can return to some normality. We cannot wait for that day.”

Fast bowler proves fitness after taking 8 for 122 across two warm-up games

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2020West Indies have officially added fast bowler Shannon Gabriel to their squad for the Test series against England. Gabriel had been part of the reserve personnel on tour but has proved his fitness and comes into the 15 vying for contention at the Ageas Bowl next week.Gabriel underwent ankle surgery last year and has not played a first-class game since September, but he claimed figures of 8 for 122 across West Indies’ two warm-up games in Manchester.”I am delighted that we are able to add Shannon to the Test squad,” CWI lead selector Roger Harper said. “He has shown that he is fit and ready, he will add experience, firepower and potency to the bowling unit.”The addition of Gabriel to the full squad means West Indies will be able to call upon the same attack that helped them to a 2-1 series win over England in the Caribbean last year – although there have been concerns over the fitness of captain Jason Holder, who has been suffering from an ankle niggle and only bowled five overs so far on tour.

Chris Silverwood backs Jos Buttler to come good as England regroup at Emirates Old Trafford

Andrew Miller13-Jul-2020Joe Denly looks set to pay the price for England’s four-wicket defeat in the first Test against West Indies, but Jos Buttler can expect to be given “the best chance to succeed” despite his own flat-lining Test form, as the head coach Chris Silverwood prepares to lift his squad ahead of Thursday’s second match at Emirates Old Trafford.With England’s captain Joe Root set to slot back into the side at No. 4 following the birth of his second child, the obvious fall-guy is Denly, 34, who once again failed to capitalise on a pair of solid starts with scores of 18 and 29 at the Ageas Bowl.After 15 Tests in a row dating back to England’s tour of the Caribbean in early 2019, those latest innings epitomise a flatlining career in which Denly’s average has now slipped back below 30. Moreover they contrast increasingly starkly with the efforts of Denly’s Kent team-mate Zak Crawley – 12 years his junior – whose second-innings 76 at the Ageas Bowl completed the fifth consecutive match in which he has posted a Test-best score.”That’s what we are looking for,” Silverwood said. “If we can create an environment where these guys can learn and continually improve then we will end up with some very good cricketers on our hands.”Zak is improving constantly. He certainly showed maturity and the innings he played was very good. We have some young players in that side that seem to have good heads on their shoulders, and he’s one of them. We’d have all loved to have seen him go on and get up to three figures but what we did was very good and helped us get into the position that we did.”After debuting at No. 6 in New Zealand and playing as an opener in South Africa, Crawley’s selection at No. 4 was a sign that he had been the likelier player to make way for Root’s return in that position in Manchester.However, when pressed on Denly’s continued presence in the side, Silverwood struggled to give his player much solace, and confirmed that his place would come under discussion when he and Root sit down with Ed Smith, the national selector, this afternoon to finalise England’s squad for the second Test.”We’re all desperate to see Joe do really well,” he said. “We can see he’s trying hard, he’s training hard. He’s a great bloke hence why we all went to see him do well, but obviously he’s under pressure a little bit, yeah.”POLITE ENQUIRIES: Does Ed Smith wear Jos Buttler pyjamasAnother player who might expect to feel the pinch is Buttler, England’s vice-captain in Root’s absence, whose scores of 35 and 9 at the Ageas Bowl continued a fallow run of form in which he has scored a solitary half-century in his last 21 Test innings, going back to the tour of the Caribbean.With Ben Foakes now confirmed as the Test squad’s wicketkeeping understudy following Jonny Bairstow’s selection in the white-ball squad to face Ireland at the end of the month, Buttler would appear to be running out of opportunities to translate his world-beating one-day form into the Test arena, where he averages 31.46 with one hundred in 42 appearances.Silverwood, however, indicated that the selectors’ patience had not yet run out, and despite the hugely worthy claims of Foakes – who made a hundred on his debut in Sri Lanka and averages 41.50 in five Tests – he backed England’s incumbent to live up to his indisputable talent.”I’m not going to go down that road yet of putting Jos under pressure, because I don’t think it’s going to help him,” he said. “So, first and foremost, we want to give Jos the best opportunity to succeed. But you’re right, we have got a very, very good gloveman in Ben Foakes out there, which we’re lucky to have.”[Jos] looked brilliant coming into this game, in practice and everything. He looked very good in the first innings. He just needs to go and make those big scores now, doesn’t he? Which he knows as well.”From our point of view it’s just making sure that he feels confident in the environment he’s in. We’ll give him the best chance to succeed really. The rest of it is, he has a good day out, gets some runs, hopefully the rest will be history – he’ll go on from there.”England are at least in familiar territory going into the second Test, having lost the opening match of a series for the eighth time in ten campaigns, dating back to the Ashes tour in 2017-18. Most recently in South Africa they bounced back from a heavy defeat in the first Test at Centurion to win the series 3-1, and Silverwood was hopeful that the same spirit would come to the fore now.”It is something that’s been spoken about, and it’s something that we keep managing to do,” he said. “We have to address and it look at how we get out of the blocks a little bit quicker.”We had a good chat in the dressing room afterwards – as you always do, you sit down and you look at areas where you missed opportunities here, you’ve built well there.”I tend to try and find the positives in everything. And South Africa was used as an example of how well we can bounce back. But what I don’t know want to do is take any credit away from the West Indies because I thought they played very, very well.”Another key issue for England will be the management of their bowling resources, with Stuart Broad champing at the bit to get involved after being controversially omitted from the opening Test, a decision that ended his run of 51 consecutive home appearances.Broad voiced his displeasure at that decision in a mid-Test interview, but Silverwood echoed Ben Stokes’ post-match sentiments and welcomed his determination to continue fighting for his place.”I think Stuart handled himself very well during that interview, to be honest,” Silverwood said. “What I did love about it, and subsequently the conversations I’ve had with him, is that passion. That drive is still there and to see that in someone who’s done as much in the game as he has, I find very exciting to be honest. And Stuart still has a big role to play within this team. I’ve made that very clear to him.”With six Tests to be played in the space of seven weeks, attrition among England’s fast-bowling ranks is inevitable, but Silverwood was optimistic of a clean bill of health in the build-up to Old Trafford.”We have one or two stiff bodies this morning as you can imagine,” he said. “I’ve been to see the guys already. But they all seem to have come through well. We will know more after training tomorrow. We will put them through their paces and see where we are at. Nothing is a given in this team as we’ve seen and people will be playing for their spots. Everything will be considered.”

Craig Overton finishes with 5 for 26 as Somerset go top of Central Group

ECB Reporters Network25-Aug-2020Craig Overton finished with figures of 5 for 26 as Somerset wrapped up a thumping 314-run Bob Willis Trophy win over Gloucestershire at Taunton.After a delayed start, the hosts needed just 15 minutes to claim their opponents’ last two wickets and move to the top of the Central Group.
Overton took one of them and the last fell to Jack Brooks to complete a game dominated by Somerset’s potent seam attack.The hosts took 20 points to boost increasing hopes of reaching the Lord’s final, while Gloucestershire had to settle for three, having been comprehensively outplayed.Play began at 1.45pm after more heavy overnight rain had saturated the outfield. Brooks had five balls of an over to complete from the previous evening.Somerset skipper Tom Abell then threw the ball to Overton, who struck with his third ball of the day from the River End.Josh Shaw failed to keep down a rising leg-side delivery and George Bartlett dived forward to take a good low catch at midwicket. Shaw departed for a duck and, with the sun shining after all the rain of the previous two days, Somerset closed in on a quick finish.It came in the next over, bowled by Brooks, Tom Lammonby clinging onto a sharp catch above his head at backward point to dismiss Matt Taylor for three.Somerset have now won three out of four Bob Willis Trophy games, and it would almost certainly have been four had bad weather not robbed them over victory over Warwickshire in their previous fixture.Their seam attack looks as good as any in the competition and they will go into their final match against Worcestershire at New Road favourites to win the group.”It’s a big relief to have got over the line after all the rain, particularly as we felt we were denied the result we deserved by the weather in our previous game,” Abell said. “At certain times yesterday that feeling of frustration was there again. With the group being so tight and only two clubs out of three group winners making the final wins are so important.”The cricket we are playing at the moment is fantastic and now we go to Worcestershire for our final group match determined to maintain those standards. It has looked for a while as if that game would decide the group and we can go into it with confidence.””We were comprehensively outplayed by the better side and all credit to Somerset,” said Richard Dawson, Gloucestershire’s head coach. “They are a top team, who have performed well over a number of years in red-ball cricket.”We failed to perform to the standards we set ourselves, particularly with the bat. The lads are very disappointed and there are no excuses coming from the dressing room or from me.”We have learned a lot being here for four days and competing against top players. But it is easy to say that and we have to make sure we put what we have learned into practice.”

Allrounder will arrive early on Sunday and will be in quarantine for six days as per IPL protocols

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2020England allrounder Ben Stokes is finally headed to the IPL from New Zealand, where he has spent the past month-and-a-half with his family. ESPNcricinfo understands Stokes will land in Dubai, where the Royals are based, early on Sunday.As per the IPL’s Covid-19 protocol Stokes will undergo the mandatory six-day quarantine, including clearing three tests, before he can link up with the Royals and be available for selection.On Saturday morning Stokes posted a picture with his parents on Instagram, along with a caption titled ‘goodbyes never get easier’.In August, mid-way into the Pakistan Test series, Stokes flew to New Zealand to be alongside his father Ged, who was detected recently with brain cancer. Stokes was granted compassionate leave by the ECB and missed not just the final two Tests and the limited-overs leg of the Pakistan series, but also the six-match white ball series against Australia.Upon landing in New Zealand, Stokes admitted leaving Pakistan series was the “right thing” he did from the “mental” point of view.The Royals have not yet commented on Stokes joining the squad, but the franchise has maintained the it would not rush the England allround back and give him “as much time as he wishes” before he was ready to play.”It’s a difficult scenario, so we’re giving him as much time as he needs, and connecting with him as best we can,” Royals head coach Andrew McDonald had told ESPNcricinfo days before the IPL started.While in Christchurch, Stokes had been readying for his return to competitive cricket by training with Sydenham Cricket Club, the first cricket club he played at back in New Zealand. “Been great being in Christchurch where it all began,” he said in another Instagram post. “Thanks to Sydenham Cricket for letting me use their facilities to bowl in.”Stokes’ arrival will shore up a slightly shaky middle order that is currently struggling for consistency. With Steven Smith and Jos Buttler opening the batting, the Royals have had to rely on the relative inexperience of Riyan Parag and Rahul Tewatia in the lower middle order, along with the out-of-form Robin Uthappa.

Eight-run victory piles more pressure on Northants’ stalling campaign

ECB Reporters Network15-Sep-2020Hamish Rutherford’s first half-century of the Vitality Blast helped Worcestershire to just their second win of the tournament and heaped more pressure on Northamptonshire’s stalling campaign in an eight-run victory at Wantage Road.Rutherford’s 62 in 37 balls underpinned Worcestershire’s 178 for 6 before Northamptonshire were held to 170 for 7 having been 82 for 2 after eight overs.It was a third consecutive defeat for Northamptonshire following a positive Covid-19 test among their squad. The disruption to their selection and practise has stopped a flying campaign in its tracks. They had won their first four completed matches.They now need at least one win from their remaining games at Taunton and Edgbaston to have a chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals.Their defeat here ensures Gloucestershire, who won a sixth straight T20 earlier in the day, qualify for the knockout stage for the fourth time in five years.Worcestershire, champions of 2018 and finalists last season, were already unable to qualify after winning just one of six completed fixtures but found solace on Tuesday.They looked to be cruising to victory after Ed Barnard, whose four overs claimed 2 for 15, and Daryl Mitchell, 1 for 17 from his three, had strangled the chase to leave 52 needed from the final four overs.But Adam Rossington swung Charlie Morris over the midwicket fence, charged at Pat Brown and pulled another boundary before edging four more to leave 29 from the final 12 balls.Saif Zaib then lifted the first two deliveries of the 19th over through the off-side for four and it left Brown 16 to defend from the final over.After conceding only four in three balls, Rossington was run out trying to retain the strike and the hosts’ daring comeback was ended.Northamptonshire had been well ahead of their chase after Richard Levi slammed a 27-ball fifty. He took 22 from the second over bowled by Dillon Pennington. Three times he swung to leg and three times cleared the infield for boundaries before the final ball of the over was hoisted over long-off. Levi added a second six over the head of Morris. Brown was then pulled and flicked for boundaries in the final over of the Powerplay.But two balls after raising his first T20 fifty since 2018 he crashed Barnard to point and it caused a critical slide. Rossington’s 45 in 34 balls was too late.It rendered Rutherford’s effort a match-winning innings, albeit too late for Worcestershire’s chances of reaching the last eight. He had previously made four scores above 20 this season but no match-defining score.He cut and drove Josh Cobb for boundaries in the opening over of the game before flicking Nathan Buck over deep square for the first six of the match. His second maximum, over midwicket off Brandon Glover, brought fifty up in the fifth over.Rutherford then cut and scooped Buck for consecutive fours in his second over before he skipped down to smash Zaib over his head for a third six to reach fifty in 30 balls.He steered White over cover – one of only two boundaries the left-arm spinner conceded in his fours overs that cost 29 – and carved Buck past point. But trying to whip the same bowler to leg was held on the deep-backward square fence.Rutherford and Jack Haynes gave Worcestershire an excellent start, adding 58 in 33 balls for the first wicket. But they couldn’t kick on to a more demanding total and only took 44 from overs 14 to 19.Mitchell and Ross Whiteley struck boundaries in the last over and in the final counting, they proved the difference.

The tall paceman has already taken 13 wickets in just three innings at the start of the Plunket Shield

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2020Kyle Jamieson’s impressive start to the New Zealand season continued as he claimed a hat-trick on the second day of the Plunket Shield match against Central Districts.Jamieson, who took match figures of 8 for 45 in the opening round against Otago, removed Tom Bruce, Dane Cleaver and Brad Schmulian for his hat-trick in the 27th over. The Auckland quick finished with figures of 5 for 41.The hat-trick delivery to Schmulian was a booming inswinger which came back sharply to take off stump as the batsman shouldered arms.”I said to mid-off and mid-on, I’m just going to bowl a big [inswinger] and try to make him play,” Jamieson said. “When you are on a hat-trick you have to try and go pole-hunting a little bit, it managed to come back a wee bit and the rest got swept up in the emotion of it. Pretty cool moment.” Jamieson has been working on adding the inswinger to his armoury over the last couple of seasons and has started to use it with greater regularity at the start of this summer. He has also tried to attack the crease more in his delivery stride having watched the Australia and New Zealand bowlers when he was first called into the Test squad as a replacement late last year on the tour of Australia.”It’s been a couple of years work,” he said. “Did a little bit last winter and continued it this winter. I got a couple out of the hand last week which settled the nerves in terms of bowling it in a game, it’s nice to be able to offer a couple variations to keep the batter guessing.”My first impressions of watching all the guys run, both the Aussies and the Kiwis, was just how much they attacked the crease and I thought there’s probably a little room to move for me in that area. I did a little work in the nets in Sydney and then brought it back, it’s about finding ways to keep improving and adding bits to your game. It helped me at the back end of last season and just trying to take it forward into this one.”Jamieson made an immediate mark on international cricket when he debuted against India in February, taking nine wickets in his first two Tests including 5 for 45 in Christchurch. He is now looking in fine form ahead of New Zealand’s home international season, which begins against West Indies late next month before a visit by Pakistan, boosted by a winter of fitness work with the cancellation of cricket due to Covid-19.”I’m very comfortable with where my game’s at at the moment, the things I’ve been working on and how I’ve been feeling in the middle more importantly. I certainly feel in the best shape I ever have going into a season.”

Paine believes Kohli’s absence for three Tests won’t make series “less intense”

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2020Australia’s Test captain Tim Paine has described his side as having “polarising” opinions about his India counterpart Virat Kohli. Though he says Kohli is “just another player to me”, Paine remained upbeat about the rivalry that he and his side shared with the Indian captain.”With Virat, it is a funny one – we love to hate him, but we also love to watch him bat as cricket fans,” Paine told “He certainly is polarising in that type of scenario. We love watching him bat, but we don’t like seeing him score too many runs.At different points during India’s tour to Australia in 2018-19, both captains were involved in heated exchanges. During the second Test in Perth, words were exchanged multiple times – especially when Paine was batting in the second innings – with the umpires having to intervene. India eventually claimed the series 2-1 and became the first Asian side to win a Test series in Australia.”Australia and India, it’s a heated competition and he’s obviously a competitive person and so am I,” Paine said. “So yeah, there were a few occasions when we had words but that wasn’t because he was the captain and I was the captain – it could have been anyone. It’s often the best player is the one that your team goes up a little bit, the intensity goes up when the best players in the world come out to the crease.”This time, however, Kohli is set to miss three out of the four Tests as he is due to return home for the birth of his first child. That won’t take anything away from how big the series is, according to Paine, who will have in his ranks Steven Smith and David Warner. The pair missed that 2018-19 series due to their year-long ban in the aftermath of the ball-tampering saga.”I’m looking forward to everything to be honest, it’s a huge series,” Paine said. “They beat us here last time obviously with a different team. I think any time you get to test yourself against the best is something that you look forward to as players and as a team, and we certainly are.”The first Test – a day-night fixture – starts in Adelaide on December 17, which follows the limited-overs segment featuring three ODIs and T20Is each. The tour concludes with the fourth Test in Brisbane from January 15.