As Ricky Ponting pointed out, aggression is not about jumping up and down on the field, or mouthing off at the opposition. Aggression ought to manifest itself in the manner in which cricket is played, and it is not neccesary that the lip must always come into play. If the young lads need proof, they need not look beyond Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, as impeccably behaved as they come but without a negative bone in their bodies.

Robin Uthappa belongs to Gen X, confident bordering on the cocky and unafraid to engage in verbal duels. "Everyone in the team wants to play positively," Uthappa said on match-eve, and that's how it must be, too. Then, he went on, "That's our plan, to be aggressive. We won't stay quiet on the field. If they talk, so will we. They are experienced in it, we are getting there. We will learn in time."

It's almost as if a conscious decision is being made — as cricket manager Lalchand Rajput conceded — by the latest lot to show the world that India will no longer take a backward step. There is, however, a thin line between gamesmanship and unacceptable behaviour, and India have treaded that line most dangerously.
"We have been aggressive in the first two games, but were a little mellowed in the third game. As players, we know where to draw the line. It is only the media which is playing it up," Uthappa said, loftily.

By that logic, match referee Chris Broad too must be part of the media, because it was the former England opener who summoned the captains after the Kochi match and warned them of serious consequences if they did not keep their players in check!

As Ian Chappell loves to point out at every possible opportunity, people will take kindly to antics and histrionics only tlll such time that they are backed up by results. Cricket needs characters, but they only become characters because they are around long enough, and that is because they deliver the goods with some degree of consistency. That's the bottom line, and that's something India's young brigade must never lose sight of.

Rajput criticises Vengsarkar
Chandigarh, DHNS: Dilip Vengsarkar's warning to the senior players in the Indian team to not 'take their places for granted' hasn't gone down well with the top guns, but they have all wisely refrained from reacting.

Only cricket manager Lalchand Rajput offered his reactions to the selection panel chairman's ill-advised tirade.

“Personally speaking, I feel that such comments in the middle of a series aren't in the best interests of the team," the former Indian opener said, making his views and those of the team quite clear.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has acted in the past to gag players, and even selectors. Maybe it should rethink its policy as regards the chairman too, because Vengsarkar has revealed a penchant for shooting his mouth off repeatedly.