Bedi: Ishant had a ‘pathetic display of aggression’

Cricket365
September 6, 2015

Former India captain Bishan Bedi has blasted fast bowler Ishant Sharma for his 'pathetic display of aggression' in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka which ended on Tuesday.

India won the Test to wrap up a two-one series result but the game was marred on the fourth day when Ishant got into an altercation with three of the home players while batting.

Ishant has since been banned for one Test for antics while Dinesh Chandimal of Sri Lanka has been suspended from his country's next ODI.

Bedi thinks Inshant's antics on the field has a lot to do with the aggression that captain Virat Kohli continuously wants his team to display on the field.

A left-arm spinner who played in 67 Tests, Bedi said: "They talked about aggression and then an Ishant gets banned for a match. Is this what you want on a cricket field?

"This is a pathetic display of aggression. And remember this has nothing to do with Virat's aggression, who is just giving statement after statement and trying to sell his aggression through words.

"He (Kohli) did a very good job in the context of this series but he needs to control his aggro. There is always one camera which is focused on the captain, so he has to be an exceptionally good role model.

"You be aggressive with your bat, ball and fielding not with your mouth. These are very early days as far as his captaincy is concerned. There is so much more to be done. And there are far too many lacunas in the Indian team.

"We would be absolutely blind if we don't see the shortcomings now."