Team India's senior wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik feels that Mohammed Siraj's act of shushing England batsman Jonny Bairstow after dismissing him in Ind vs Eng 2nd Test at Lord's was unnecessary. The Indian speedster was seen involved in many heated exchanges with England batsmen multiples times in the Ind vs Eng drawn Test.
“I do feel it was unnecessary for Siraj to shush batsmen after dismissing them. You have already won the battle, why resort to this? That’s one learning for Siraj early in his international career," Karthik, who is commentating on the India vs England Test series, wrote in The Telegraph.
“How many of us would have imagined Virat Kohli stepping in to calm an excitable team-mate down? Much to everyone’s amusement, the mercurial Indian captain was forced to act swiftly at Trent Bridge to ensure Mohammed Siraj didn’t cross the line.
“I love the brand of cricket portrayed by this team. Players are unafraid to engage their opponents in verbals, like Siraj and KL Rahul did. This is new-age India, armed with the license to bring out its personality.
“Aggression manifests itself in different ways. For some like Virat, Siraj and Rahul, it could be open and in-your-face. I can’t see senior batsmen Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane singing that tune, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t aggressive."
“Strangely enough, most of India’s quicker bowlers steer clear of physical aggression. They prefer getting the job done with the ball, which is just fine. The primary reason India have started travelling better is the arsenal of pace Virat is able to summon.
“India have conquered Australia twice in a row; England now, and South Africa later in the year, offer further opportunities to reinforce their credentials as an excellent away’ side."
“What makes this series fascinating is that India have, with their body language and aggression, made it clear they are here to win. England, even with all their frailties, are one of the hardest teams to defeat in their own backyard.
“With London expected to be warm over the next five days, things are set to get hotter, especially if Ravi Ashwin is back in the mix as I expect," he added.