Should The Indian Cricket Team remain the so called aggressive bunch?
The fuss about the aggressiveness of the Indian Cricket Team is the recent phenomenon, especially, after Virat Kohli has become the captain of the Indian test cricket team.When India recently has sent the Indian cricket team with relatively young and new faces to Zimbabwe under the captaincy of Rahane,we have not heard anything about it. But when our team recently has toured Sri Lanka under the captaincy of Virat Kohli,we have heard everything about aggressiveness.
Therefore, it goes without saying that Virat Kohli's aggressive approach towards the game as a player and as the captain of the Indian cricket team,and his stance and guidance towards his players, has turned them into an aggressive bunch,especially our fast bowlers such as Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav turning into aggressive bowlers.Though Indian cricket team has clinched the series 2-1 against Sri Lanka after a period of 22 years, it has been ridden with full of controversies, show offs between the players of India and Sri Lanka and in the end, it has marred the reputation of Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma. Taking stock of the situation, ICC has taken the disciplinary action against him by banning him for one test match for his unruly on field behaviour and for his altercation with Sri Lankan players.Besides, the match referee has also fined Ishant Sharma of his 75% match fee in a match.
Ishant Sharma has remained the mainstay of our fast bowlers and he has proved it in the India-Sri Lanka recent test cricket series as the second highest wicket taker, besides being instrumental in leveling and winning the series against Sri Lanka by taking crucial wickets in the second and third cricket tests played against them.However,unfortunately he has been the only cricket player singled out for punishment for his so called aggressiveness that has been rather unnecessary, unwarranted and uncalled for.
Many of us hail Virat Kohli for his aggressive approach towards the game of cricket.Indian spinner Ashwin and former medium pacer Chetan Sharma have defended the on field behaviour of Ishant Sharma.Chetan Sharma going a step further has hailed Ishant Sharma's aggressiveness as part and parcel of the game. However,our former cricket players Bedi and Sanjay Manjrekhar have criticised Ishant Sharma for his unruly onfield behaviour and Virat Kohli for his so called aggressiveness.In fact, but for his support and encouragement, Ishant Sharma would not have lost his composure and behaved so shabbily as against the Sri Lankan players.Above all the so called aggressiveness has resulted in keeping our main strike bowler Ishant Sharma out of action for the crucial first test to be played between India and South Africa in the forthcoming home test series involving four test matches.
Though we have not disagreed with Virat Kohli's aggressive approach towards the game of cricket, it should have a restraint and stop with our batting or bowling performance and it should not spill over to the onfield to the extent of ugly and unruly behavior against the opponent players.We should not forget, while, we, the Indian cricket players are entitled to play cricket aggressively,we can not deny the same approach for the opponent players.Therefore, the Sri Lankan players are equally entitled to play aggressively as against us.So, if an Indian player reacts aggressively, I mean in an ugly way as against an opponent player who is playing aggressively, it shows his immaturity, inability, lack of sportsmanship and above all lack of confidence, to tackle him through his performance. After all, we are playing for our country and our opponents are playing for their country.
Above all, while playing for our country, it is the performance that matters and counts for a cricket player and not his unruly on field behavior. We should not forget that we are playing only a game of cricket and so we should play it with a true spirit of sportsmanship, by exercising utmost restraint,due care and caution, a sense of proportion and balance of mind.Therefore,it is good to be aggressive in our game and not against our opponent. Otherwise, it ruins a player’s game and his person,besides causing an irreparable damage for the image of our country as well.
Therefore, our Indian cricket captain for test,Virat Kohli should remember that he should restrict his aggressiveness strictly with his game of cricket and see that his colleagues are also playing the game aggressively in its true spirit, by behaving well in the onfield without any scope for deviation.
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