‘Kohli’s aggression behind Ishant’s antics’

New Delhi, September 3 

Virat Kohli’s fearlessness has rubbed off on Ishant Sharma and that was reason why the pacer crossed the line in Sri Lanka, says the bowler’s childhood coach Shravan Kumar. “He bowled very well but got too aggressive. That is something he could have avoided. Aggression is fine as long as you are not making a physical contact or using foul language. If you do that, you are penalised. That is what happened with Ishant,” said the Delhi-based coach.

The coach said his ward was unusually aggressive and captain Kohli played a role in it. “It happened because of Kohli’s aggressiveness. He believes in playing fearless cricket and doesn’t hold back. But being fearless does not mean that you become ill-mannered. What happened was in bad taste,” said Kumar. 

He further said Ishant did not need to cross the line as he was letting the ball do the talking anyway. “Ishant is back home, but I have not spoken to him yet. I will give him a piece of my mind when I meet him. Aggression is acceptable if you are getting the batsman out, else there is no point of being belligerent.

“Sledging is used to distract the player, but there should not be any physical contact. It (sledging) has been there for many years, but there is a way to do it. Now he has got a one-match ban; it’s good neither for him, nor the team,” Shravan said. — PTI