Is Virat Kohli-Ravi Shastri Partnership Making Team India Ill Behaved? Sanjay Manjrekar is Concerned

Sanjay Manjrekar is angry that India's leading pacer Ishant Sharma will miss the first Test of the upcoming series against South Africa next month not because of an injury but due to poor behaviour. (Ishant Sharma's coach blames Kohli, Shastri for his aggression)

Manjrekar, a former Test batsman and noted TV commentator feels Ishant's over-the-top behaviour during the recent series in Sri Lanka was unwarranted and skipper Virat Kohli and team director Ravi Shastri should have done a better job in toning down the bowler's demeanour. (Also read: 'Ishant's aggression a cause of worry')

Writing in ESPNCricinfo, Manjrekar said: "I am a bit concerned with the Virat Kohli-Ravi Shastri partnership. That the Indians are not trying to tone their behaviour down after Australia, and have got into ugly confrontations with even a team like Sri Lanka, tells me that they don't see these actions as misdemeanours at all. (Related: 'My son was not aggressive as a child')

"Perhaps this is all part of their new brand of aggressive cricket. If that's the case, it does not make any cricketing sense at all. For this version of aggressive cricket has cost India the services of their strike bowler, a player who is in great form, in a crucial Test match."

Ishant Sharma and Sri Lanka's Dinesh Chandimal were handed one-match bans after admitting charges of misconduct during the third Test between the countries in Colombo. Two other Sri Lanka players, Lahiru Thirimanne and Dhammika Prasad, were fined half their match fees for their roles in the two separate incidents during the Test, which India won by 117 runs to secure the series win.

Ishant during a heated argument with Dinesh Chandimal.

© AFP

Sharma, who had been fined 65 percent of his match fees for giving send-offs to Thirimanne and Chandimal in the second Test, landed in trouble with the Sri Lankans in the final contest as well.

The ICC imposed two penalty points on the Indian fast bowler after he gave a send-off to opener Upul Tharanga in the first over of Sri Lanka's second innings -- his third such offence during the heated series between the neighbours.

As a result, Ishant will miss the first Test against South Africa in Mohali, which starts on November 5, and the ICC warned that he faced a ban of up to one year if he repeated the offence within the next 12 months.

"Monday's incidents were not good advertisements for international cricket," said ICC match referee Andy Pycroft.

"These experienced cricketers forgot their fundamental responsibilities of respecting their opponents, as well as the umpires, and got involved in incidents which were clearly against the spirit of the game. Their actions cannot be condoned and must be discouraged."

Tempers flared when Ishant, after taking a single and running past Prasad, was seen smacking his own head as if daring the bowler to try to bounce him.

Chandimal joined from the slip, brushing shoulders with the Indian.

"Just before the contact between Chandimal and Sharma, Lahiru Thirimanne had twice ignored the umpires' warnings not to get involved in the incident," the ICC said in a statement.

At the end of India's second innings, Ishant ran towards the Indian dressing room to change and get ready to bowl and Prasad was seen sprinting behind the Indian, as if trying to catch up with him.

Ishant's behaviour also did not amuse Sunil Gavaskar, who felt on-field celebration could be more courteous. Manjrekar, of course, has been more forthcoming. He wrote: "It's for situations like this that you need older, wiser men around a cricket team, to put some sense into the side, which is basically a bunch of excited twentysomethings."