Inconsistency, not aggression has hurt India

If aggression or being hyper-aggressive helps a player to perform better, it is something that should be encouraged, writes the author.

A debate is going on if over-aggression is going against the Indians in Australia. Frankly, the issue can be interpreted in both ways. If over-aggression results in a loss of focus, obviously it should be shunned. On the other hand, if aggression or being hyper-aggressive helps a player to perform better, it is something that should be encouraged. Most importantly, how can there be the same thread of aggression in all the players?

How can we expect a Cheteshwar Pujara to be as aggressive as say Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma? While aggression comes naturally to Virat, Pujara is by nature different. Just like in the past it was Harbhajan Singh who was more 'getting under the skin of the opposition' kind of player, Anil Kumble was the silent aggressor who was very different. Did that mean Kumble was any less effective than Harbhajan or vice-versa? Did Indian captains over time ever try to curb Harbhajan's exuberance on the field? Did Sourav Ganguly, who captained the two for the longest time, ever instruct Harbhajan or Anil to behave in one particular way?

At one level the question is a non-issue. It was never an issue in the past and is the very same now as well. To say that over aggression is costing India is to imply a degree of sameness in every player, which isn't the case in any cricket team at any point in time.

What has cost India so far in this series is the team's inability to perform as a collective. Unlike in England where no one performed, in Australia some players have put their hands up. Murali Vijay has been superb and Virat was exceptional in Adelaide. Ajinkya Rahane too has played his part while the bowlers have been good in patches. However, the collective effort at times when it mattered the most has been lacking and that's what has cost the Indians.

India lost the Adelaide Test in 30 minutes of poor batting on the last day and Brisbane in one hour of poor bowling on Day 3 and half an hour of poor batting on Day 4. For the rest of the time the Indians have matched the Australians. So, what the Indians need to do in Melbourne and Sydney is to guard against this non-performance at times when it matters the most. That's what the Australians have guarded against. Even when the Indians have dominated the Aussies have tried to keep themselves in the game. And at the slightest opportunity made a comeback and taken control.

At 247-6 with the Australians 150 behind, India was firmly in control in Brisbane. Another two wickets and the match should have been in the bag. Instead a Mitchell Johnson innings took the game away in the one hour before lunch on Day 3. Whether it was the sledge that inspired Johnson, we will never know. The key thing is Indians did not have a plan B when the short ball did not work.

Again, it was the first hour of poor batting on Day 4 that resulted in the match being handed over to Australia after India had ended Day 3 at 71-1. Test cricket is all about consistency and that's what the Indians have lacked so far. While they have been better than in England and have competed well for most of the two Tests, the fact this they haven't been consistent enough and that's what has given Australia an unassailable lead in the series.

And it is here that captaincy comes into focus. With a very young Steve Smith at the helm, it was expected that MS Dhoni will trump him when it comes to captaincy. But, as has been the case with him in Test match cricket overseas, the Indian skipper wasn't upto the mark when in Brisbane. Getting out for a duck in the second innings and for a 30 plus score in the first when he could have powered on, handed the momentum to Australia. Smith on the other hand scored a hundred in the first innings and a very important 28 in the second when Australia had lost a couple of quick wickets in pursuit of 127 for a second successive win.

If India need to make a comeback in Melbourne, Dhoni needs to lead from the front. A fantastic one day player, his overseas Test record keeps getting poorer and poorer. And frankly, he doesn't have much time left. Unless he does well in the next two Tests, it is expected that Virat will replace Dhoni as Test skipper in the post World Cup scenario. However, that's speculation and for the moment, it is Dhoni who is in charge and it is Dhoni who needs to turn the tide. Get his team to be consistent and lead the attack against Steve Smith. He can do so by being over aggressive or defensive. What matters is the end result. No more and no less.