Team India took the field against Bangladesh in the 1st Test on the back of KL Rahul's comments about the team playing aggressive cricket.
Come match time - one would have thought about KL the captain, leading from the front. But as has been the case with India across formats, the talk about playing aggressive cricket has just been restricted to press conferences or post-match interviews.
Seldom have we seen the team, across formats, really walk the talk and play the way that has been due for some time now. With the kind of talent pool and depth the Indian cricket posses, it is almost shocking to see the kind of approach the team follows in all formats of the game.
What If?
Although India isn't behind in the 1st Test match vs Bangladesh, they aren't ahead too. On a pitch that aided turn and bounce, one would surely wonder what would have happened if the team had gone for the aerial route more often than they actually did.
For starters though, one wouldn't expect India to play like England in Test cricket. It was KL Rahul's comments that stirred the pot. "There is a Test championship (final) qualification so we will also have to be aggressive. We know where we stand and what we need to do to qualify for the final," said Rahul during a media conference after the unveiling of the trophy.
On a pitch that was helping the seamers to begin with and then the spinners, attacking would have been a sure shot option to put the bowlers under pressure.
"The game is played over five days so it is important to break it down into smaller targets. In every session, the demands would be different but one thing is sure that you are going to see a lot of aggressive cricket from our side," said Rahul.
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Rahul played cautious cricket, did not attack, allowed the bowlers to bowl where they wanted and paid the price.
Pujara's Knock - Brilliant or Missed Opportunity?
One would say that Pujara played a brilliant knock of 90, but the fact that he got into a shell and tried defending when the bowlers were spitting literal venom is what led to his dismissal.
Although Rahul stated that they won't exactly follow England's style of play, maybe this was the kind of aggressive cricket he was talking about.
It will be interesting to see if India gets a little more attacking in the following days to try and put Bangladesh under pressure.
