The fearlessness of Indian Test captain Virat Kohli has rubbed off on Ishant Sharma and that was the main reason why the lanky pacer crossed the line of aggression in the recent series 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 abusing. There should not be any body contact. If you do that then you are penalised. That is what happened with Ishant,” Delhi-based Shravan said referring to the one Test ban Ishant received for his boorish behaviour in Sri lanka.
The coach said his ward was unusually aggressive and captain Kohli played a role in it.
“It (Ishant becoming overtly aggressive) is because of Kohli’s aggressiveness. He believes in playing fearless cricket and doesn’t hold back. The atmosphere of the dressing room is to play fearless and that rubbed off on Ishant too. But fearless does not necessarily mean that you become ill-mannered. What happened was in bad taste,” Shravan was forthright in his view.