Sledging Backfiring on MS Dhoni's Team India: Sunil Gavaskar

Ishant Sharma being slapped with a fine by the match referee for using abusive language in the Brisbane Test did little to enhance India's cricket image in Australia. Down 2-0 in the four-Test series, former Test captain Sunil Gavaskar is not amused at Team India's body language, saying it is futile to match the Australians with the tongue. Ishant was the third Indian after Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli to have been fined thus far in the series.(Ishant Fined for Foul Language)

India have lost six Tests in-a-row versus Australia Down Under. Four of these defeats came in the 2011-12 series followed by the first two in the current series. Australia are undefeated in the last 26 Tests played at Gabba, Brisbane. They won 19 and drawn 7. India lost on Saturday by four wickets. Ishant's fine only added insult to the team's injury.(Lyon Contradicts Dhoni)

Gavaskar is sad that skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has not been able to control his younger teammates like Ishant, who was fined 15 per cent of his match fee for using "language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting during an international match". The incident happened in the first innings when Ishant was seen on television screens using inappropriate words after dismissing Australia captain Steven Smith.(India Buckle Under Johnson)

In his column on Monday, Gavaskar wrote: "To find his (Dhoni's) junior players getting into verbals is sad to say the least. The only thing that should do the talking is bat and the ball." Gavaskar added: "Being aggressive with bat and ball is one thing and being aggressive with the mouth is another thing altogether. There is no way that any team can beat the Australians in verbal duels."(India's Tactics Backfire)

Ironically, Ishant produced his best spell in Australia at Brisbane. Ishant's match figures of six for 155 were his best in a Test match in Australia, obliterating the 3 for 97 in the 2007-08 Perth Test. But the fine and the four-wicket Gabba defeat undid all the good work with the ball.(Johnson Banks on Mind Games)

For the 'gentle' Indians, sledging is not the path to playing quality cricket, feels Gavaskar. After Phillip Hughes death, the Aussie have quietly retained their aggression without getting involved in verbals. "To see the Indians start it and keep indulging in it was an amusing sidelight but it has backfired on them," wrote Gavaskar.

In the first Test at Adelaide, Dhawan and stand-in skipper Kohli were fined 30 per cent of their match fees for squabbles with Aussie players. Ishant certainly didn't learn the lesson and Dhoni failed to take the lead and the responsibility to stop any unacceptable aggression of any kind towards opposing players.