India vs Australia: Paine to take a call on future after the series

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Bengaluru, December 16: Ahead of the series opener against India at Adelaide, Australia's Test captain Tim Paine was candid while admitting that he has been discussing his future with coach Justin Langer and chairman of national selection panel Trevor Hohns.

The wicketkeeper-batsman was entrusted the top job after Steve Smith's unceremonious removal from the post following the ill-fated ball-tampering scandal that happened during the South Africa tour in 2018.

The 36-year-old knows well that he is not a powerhouse performer like his predecessor but believes that he has been playing his role to perfection in the current Australian set up.

"We'll wait and see," Paine said during a virtual conference when asked if he has been contemplating his future both as a player and a leader.

"From the very first time I came back into this Test team, when I wasn't the captain, I wouldn't look past another series. When you're young, things can be taken away from you really quickly.

"At the moment, the focus is on Adelaide and then Melbourne, and so on for the rest of the series and then we'll see. I've been talking to Trevor Hohns and JL (Langer) about when and how we might look into the future, but right now my eyes are firmly set on the series."

For someone without a Test hundred in 31 appearances and a modest batting average of just 30 plus, Paine said that he has performed his role which includes batting with the tail.

"In terms of my captaincy, it's been okay as I've a role to play in this group like everyone else does. As long as I keep doing that, we're all happy.

"My job is to keep and captain and score some handy runs with the tail and yeah that's my role. It's going for me pretty well," Paine added.

The first match of the four-match Gavaskar-Border Series -- which is a day/night pink-ball affair -- gets underway at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday (December 17).

It will be followed by the traditional Boxing Day game in Melbourne, the New Year Test in Sydney before the series winds up at Brsibane.

(With PTI inputs)