Big fan of India’s aggression but Siraj’s send-off was unnecessary: Karthik

Dinesh Karthik, who is currently in the midst of a commentary gig for Sky Sports, revealed that he is a huge fan of this new-age Indian side’s aggressive nature, but claimed that he was not pleased with Mohammed Siraj giving a send-off to Jonny Bairstow. 

Siraj was involved in a mini-battle with Bairstow in England’s second innings on Day 4, and after dismissing his nemesis via a short-ball, the speedster from Hyderabad let the emotions get the better of him and ‘shushed’ the batsman post the dismissal.

Karthik reckoned that Siraj’s send-off was ‘unnecessary’, and felt that the 27-year-old did not have to resort to over-the-top behavior after winning the battle.

“I love the brand of cricket portrayed by this team. Players are unafraid to engage their opponents in verbals, like Siraj and KL Rahul did. This is new-age India, armed with the license to bring out its personality. I do feel it was unnecessary for Siraj to shush batsmen after dismissing them,” Karthik wrote in his column for The Telegraph.

“You have already won the battle, why resort to this? That’s one learning for Siraj early in his international career.”

Karthik also observed that each individual part of the current Indian side, under Virat Kohli, channel their aggression in a manner unique to them.

“Aggression manifests itself in different ways. For some like Virat, Siraj and Rahul, it could be open and in-your-face. I can’t see senior batsmen Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane singing that tune, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t aggressive. 

“Their intent can radiate through a beautifully judged leave, an impeccable defensive stroke, a cracking cover-drive. Players quickly realise what works for them. You must be true to yourself, but also mindful that the existing regulations are not transgressed.”

Apart from expressing his delight over the aggression shown by this Indian side, the 36-year-old also lavished praise on India’s robust ‘A’ system and the IPL for churning out a host of quality fast bowlers. Karthik reckoned that the IPL, in particular, has been a boon for young fast bowlers in the country.

“I’d place the IPL and the robust India ‘A’ structure at the top of the pile for India’s pace revolution. Earlier, good pacers languished in the relative anonymity of domestic cricket, without a platform to showcase their skills. The IPL has given them a fillip. They bowl to the best batsmen in the world, and even if they pick up only one or two wickets, it does wonders for their confidence,” Karthik said.