Australian Test cricket captain Tim Paine had a ball on the second day of the third Test match between the two Aussies and Indians at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Thursday.

When Rohit Sharma was batting at the crease, during the over of Nathan Lyon, Paine, who is known for his quick wit, noted aloud that two players from the IPL's Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians are on the field, the other being Aaron Finch at short leg, who played for the latter franchise.

Trying to break Sharma's concentration by teasing him, Paine told Sharma, the Mumbai Indians’ captain, that he will join the team if Sharma hit a six. “It’s been a toss up for me between Royals and Indians, and if Rohit hits a six here, I am changing to Mumbai,” said Paine.

"If Rohit hits a six here I'm changing to Mumbai" ????#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/JFdHsAl84b

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 27, 2018

On-field mics and cameras picked up the exchange between the players on the pitch.

Later, Paine spoke about how there are too many English players in the Rajasthan Royals, referring to Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler. “Too many Poms at the Royals,” he said.

Sharma seemed to be enjoying the banter and was seen grinning while Paine was making his wisecracks. In any case, the Indian batsman went on to score a half-century during the course of the day, even as India went on to cross the 400-run mark in the first innings at MCG.

Twitter users also joined in the fun, with many appreciating the friendly banter, as well as Paine's humour.