'I need to set a better example', says Paine after SCG draw

Tim Paine admits he needs to set a better example for kids watching Test cricket on television, also lamenting three dropped catches on a forgettable day for the Australia captain.

Paine has won praise for driving cultural change within the team since being appointed skipper in the aftermath of the 2018 Cape Town ball-tampering scandal.

But the conduct of Australia's wicketkeeper was criticised by Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar as the tourists held on for a gallant draw at the SCG, where Paine capped a disappointing day by dropping a late catch after a tense verbal back-and-forth with Ravichandran Ashwin.

Paine was fined 15 per cent of his match fee after being found guilty of dissent on day three of the third Vodafone Test, when he appealed to standing umpire Paul Wilson for some "f---ing consistency".

"I probably set a pretty poor example with my use of language," he told reporters. "Certainly disappointed with myself.

"I certainly didn't mean to be disrespectful to him (Wilson). It was just heat of moment. I need to be better.

"I know the stump mics are on and there's a lot of kids watching, and I need to set a better example."

Ashwin and Gavaskar both took exception to Paine's verbals in Monday's final session; the latter via his position as a commentator on the Seven Network.

Ashwin was on strike and pulled away on multiple occasions during Nathan Lyon's 44th over, unhappy with Paine's talk from behind the stumps.

Stump microphones picked up some of Paine's verbals, including when he called the veteran spinner a "d-ckhead" and boasted of having "more Indian friends than you do".

"Even your teammates think you're a goose. Don't they? Every one of them," he told Ashwin.

"How many IPL teams wanted you, when you asked every single one of them to have you?"

Gavaskar was decidedly unimpressed.

"Frankly, it's ridiculous," he said during commentary. "It's unnecessary."

India's stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane was less concerned post match, noting such chatter is to be expected in Test cricket.

"As long as it stays on the field," Rahane said, praising the performance of Ashwin, who withstood a fierce Australian assault to salvage the draw under immense pressure.

Paine, who grassed Australia's final chance of the Test soon after the spat, defended the conduct of him and his team.

"We try our best but we aren't perfect," he said. "If the worst thing we've done is let the odd f-bomb go then I think we are going OK."

However, the 36-year-old was more upset with his sub-par effort behind the stumps on Monday.

"I'm bitterly disappointed, I pride myself on my wicketkeeping," Paine said, having dropped edges offered by Rishabh Pant on three and 56, before spilling an outside edge from Mitchell Starc that would have sent Hanuma Vihari packing with 10 overs left in the day.

"Haven't had too many worse days than that. It's a horrible feeling ... I let them (bowlers) down. I have to wear that."

Vodafone Test Series v India 2020-21

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner

India Test squad: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan

First Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Second Test: India won by eight wickets

Third Test: Match drawn

Fourth Test: January 15-19, Gabba, 11am AEDT