India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a 137-run win in Melbourne on Sunday saw them take a 2-1 lead in the four-Test series.
The MCG pitch was criticised early in the Test for its lack of assistance for the bowlers, before it quickly deteriorated as Australia struggled, particularly with the bat.
With a dry wicket expected for the final Test in Sydney, Paine said the pitches were working against Australia.
“I played on it [the SCG pitch] about three or four weeks ago and it spun a little bit. We’re hearing it’s probably going to be a little bit drier than even that,” he told Macquarie Sports Radio.
“Again, I’m sure India will be really looking forward to it.
“That’s been the one disappointing thing. It seems we’ve rolled up some wickets here in Australia that have taken away from our strengths, which is pace and bounce.”
While disappointed with the pitches, Paine also paid tribute to India, who dominated most of the Test in Melbourne.
“It’s a frustration I think for us. You never go to India and get served up green wickets and they’ve come out here and we’ve served some wickets up that really suit them,” he said.
“Having said that, they’ve outplayed us and we’ve got to go to Sydney and improve.”
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