Aggression over action
Off late, there has been lot of talk about the aggressive attitude of the new set of players that India has produced. It is certainly a refreshing change, to have a team, which not only gives back what it gets, but also lets the opposition know about what it thinks of them. Team India is fearless, aggressive, motivated and ready to deliver. The t20 world cup
performance was clear proof of the talent we have. Indian cricket is moving ahead. Or so we thought.
The all talked about aggression, was shown against the Australian team, in the recent future cup series too. It was a different experience, to watch some of our team players give the Aussies a taste of their own verbal medicine. We may have matched them verbally, but the Aussies have managed to outplay us again. They are not the undisputed world champions for nothing. There is a method to their madness. Over the years they have managed to channelise their aggression very well and what most people tend to forget is that they also play great cricket. Aggression is good but it should be displayed more through one’s game rather than attitude only. The Aussies, after their t20 loss to India, were determined to take revenge. They did what they came here for, and that is to win comprehensively. It is very rare to see the Australians losing, and they don’t like it when they lose. The t20 loss to India hurt them bad, and a steely determination was present in each of their players, when they set foot in India. The Indian team is not a bad one, but there is a long way to go before one can compare them to Australia. Aggression is good, but mindless aggression is not. Priority should be given to performance first. It can be said that the Indian media plays a small role in taking the blame.
Sreesanth is the best example. Whenever somebody takes his interview, he is questioned more about his behaviour on the field, rather than his performance. Sreesanth knows that the media loves him, and one gets the feeling that he wants to be the showstopper. A lot had been written about his battle with hayden and symonds before the series. It was a funny sight watching sreesanth run up to each of them, trying to intimidate. While he did take their wicket a few times, it wasn’t before conceding a run a ball at least. We cannot forget that he also dropped symonds in the sixth ODI when was on 2, and symonds went on to score a match winning hundred. Sreesanth always seems to have the look of a kid from whom a toffee has been taken away.
There has been a lot of hype about his performance in the world cup, but a closer look at his stats will tell, that he has performed well only in the match against Australia. In the others, he has gone for plenty. Then what is the fuss about?? It is our attitude toward the players, which needs to change. We love to see different characters on the field, and keep saying that such people add color to the game. While they may add color, bring more people and advertise the game better, it will not guarantee more wins. Encouraging fearlessness and aggression is good but not at the cost of looking stupid, and to be honest, sreesanth has looked foolish on more than a couple of occasions. It would be better if he stops playing for the camera and starts playing for India.