We can't be sure whether Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli share the same trouser size. But in case the latter thought that on-field aggression of the Kohli variety is a boilerplate strategy, it isn't.
For some, belligerence feeds confidence. For others, it leads to loss of clarity. Alpha male/female chest-thumping may be all the rage these days as a loved tool of toddlers, middle managers with Napoleon complexes, and strongmen statesmen.
But when Gill walked up to England's Zak Crawley towards the end of Day 3 at Lord's on Saturday and did that Kohli finger wag, along with letting fly a few choice words about the batter needing to enhance parts of his anatomy after the latter was lingering through stumps, it may not have worked well... for India's captain.
True, hindsight gives us 20:20 vision, and India losing a tight battle at Lord's on Monday gives us the sparkling right to judge Gill as not being suitably aggro, and aggressively suitable. He works better with a calmer head.
Aggression's track record is rather poor. Countries and corporations try it, and we hear about only the grand successes. The sleeves-rolling that fizzle out aren't much talked about.
The truth is, bluster is the mating call of the insecure unless the pitch demands it. Quiet calculation perhaps works better than going 'full testo tornado' for the calculating likes of Gill.
For some, belligerence feeds confidence. For others, it leads to loss of clarity. Alpha male/female chest-thumping may be all the rage these days as a loved tool of toddlers, middle managers with Napoleon complexes, and strongmen statesmen.
But when Gill walked up to England's Zak Crawley towards the end of Day 3 at Lord's on Saturday and did that Kohli finger wag, along with letting fly a few choice words about the batter needing to enhance parts of his anatomy after the latter was lingering through stumps, it may not have worked well... for India's captain.
True, hindsight gives us 20:20 vision, and India losing a tight battle at Lord's on Monday gives us the sparkling right to judge Gill as not being suitably aggro, and aggressively suitable. He works better with a calmer head.
Aggression's track record is rather poor. Countries and corporations try it, and we hear about only the grand successes. The sleeves-rolling that fizzle out aren't much talked about.
The truth is, bluster is the mating call of the insecure unless the pitch demands it. Quiet calculation perhaps works better than going 'full testo tornado' for the calculating likes of Gill.