India may be 2-0 down in the series, but there have still been instances of the players showing aggression, trying to unsettle the opponents. The move has only backfired though. At Adelaide, Varun Aaron gave David Warner a send off after dismissing him. However, replays showed that it was a no ball. Warner came back and gave Aaron and the Indian players a piece of his mind. Shikhar Dhawan had a go at Warner and the other Aussie batsmen, and was joined in by Virat Kohli as well. But, the move only backfired as Warner went on to smash a brilliant ton. It was an amazing innings and went a long way in Australia going 1-0 in the series at Adelaide.
Something similar transpired at the Gabba in Brisbane as well. Rohit Sharma attacked Mitchell Johnson, who had come in to bat under tough circumstances for Australia, and was taking on the Indian bowlers. After hitting one of his many fours, Johnson was confronted by Sharma, who mocked him by clapping him for stroking a boundary. He also had some words to say to Johnson. Again, the move only woke up Johnson as he went on to smash a wonderful 88, and put India out of the match, quite literally. The batting effort inspired Johnson's bowling performance as well as he ran through the Indian batting order.
The above two instances prove that while India have looked to be aggressive, they haven't backed the same with performances. At Adelaide, Dhawan did not score anything substantial even as he was ready to take on the Aussies with his mouth. In Brisbane, Sharma attacked Johnson, but he had precious little to show in terms of runs. What India's aggression has done is inspired the Aussies to perform better. It is not to say that Indians shouldn't be aggressive. It must be a part of their game, but if it is helping the opponents, then they must definitely do a rethink. As it is Indians are not naturally aggressive by nature.
Rather than trying to have a go at the Australians with their mouths, the Indian players would do better to show their aggression through their performances with bat and ball. This is something which has been dearly missing. The batsmen can show their aggression by playing attack knocks like what Warner and Johnson have done. The bowlers too can do their bit by claiming wickets through positive bowling. Aaron gave a massive send off to Warner at Adelaide, and has been celebrating wickets rather vigorously, but his performance has been far from up to the mark. As of now, Indians have only been talking, not performing.
India are 2-0 down in the series now, and the only way they can comeback is by showing some spunk in their play. Aggression is definitely a must to put the opposition under pressure. But, for every team aggression works differently. And, the Indians must realise that Aussies are masters at playing the mind games. Do India have another facet to their aggression, which can put the Aussies under trouble? We'll have to wait and watch.
--By A Cricket Analyst
