Tim Paine launched one of his trademark sledges at Ravindra Jadeja after the India all-rounder ran out his captain Ajinkya Rahane in an attempt to get to his half-century in the ongoing Melbourne Test.

Jadeja had looked increasingly skittish as he neared the landmark in the second Test, half-setting off for a run on a couple of occasions before thinking better of it. This time, having tapped Nathan Lyon into the off-side, Jadeja set off straight away at full speed, with his skipper responding immediately to the call.

However, Marnus Labuschagne swooped before picking up and throwing the ball to the wicketkeeper in one motion, with Paine catching Rahane, on 112 at the time, just short of his ground.

Jadeja reached his half-century in comfortable fashion two deliveries later, and displayed his now-customary swashbuckling celebration, though it was slightly more muted than usual on this occasion.

However, it was Paine who had the last laugh. “Get the knife out this time, not the sword,” he could be heard saying on his way to the other end after the over in which Jadeja had reached fifty, implying the left-arm spinner had betrayed his captain with his risky call.

The moment adds to an ever-growing list of verbal barbs sent India’s way by Paine, with his stump-mic comments a regular feature of the 2018/19 series between the sides. “I know he’s your captain but you can’t seriously like him as a bloke,” he said of regular India captain Virat Kohli during that rubber, while his joking request to Rishabh Pant, asking him “Do you babysit? I’ll take my wife to the movies, you can look after the kids?” has since gone down in cricket folklore after Pant took him up on the offer later on during the series.

While this might not create the same waves as those two sledges, it seemingly had the desired effect. A pumped-up Jadeja got suckered in to attacking a Mitchell Starc short ball, having employed caution through most of his innings, and Pat Cummins completed a juggling catch in the outfield. Having been 294-5, India collapsed to finish 326 all out. Starc’s roaring celebration in Jadeja’s direction suggests this story might have chapters to be written yet.

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