Australia vs India 2018-19: Why Virat Kohli should never tone down his aggression

In what has been a fiery Test series in Australia, Indian skipper Virat Kohli has come under a lot of criticism for his aggressive behaviour on the field. Former Australian pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson has called him silly and disrespectful for his aggression on the pitch. Amidst criticism, the star batsman has also got his share of support from former Indian stars like Zaheer Khan and Sourav Ganguly.

The main bearer of criticism during the Perth Test was the Australian media as his aggressive demeanor grabbed a lot of headlines. The hosts managed to win the match by a massive margin after India had emerged victorious at Adelaide.

While there is no doubt that the current Indian team is no short of firepower and can bounce back in remaining Tests, the loss at Perth was a major setback. Kohli's aggression led to polarizing comments while his team selection and tactics also received some criticism.

Even though naysayers ponder over seemingly evil and over aggressive nature of Kohli, it is a fact that he has been a torch-bearer of India in this regard. He has repeatedly proven himself to be a cut above the rest when it comes to getting under the skin of the opposition players.

Even when things went wrong for India and players under performed, Kohli has been the lone warrior on the field. His masterful ton at Perth is an apt depiction of his impact in this current Indian side and also proves why he is indeed the best in the business.

Although it is true that cricket is a gentleman's game, it is also true that the weak gets eaten. The level of competitiveness is at an all time high at the biggest stages of the game and aggression is a part and parcel of any competition. In Kohli's case, aggression adds to his hunger and is one of the reason why he is such a great warrior.

The same goes for Australian greats like Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. They led some great sides over the years for Australia and they were ruthless at every competition. Most of the teams had an extreme fear and respect for them. Evidently, aggression combined with performance can be a powerful tool to dominate, command respect and stamp greatness along the way.

The Australian sides led by Waugh and Ponting never shied away from showing aggression on the field, which helped them dominate and instill fear in the minds of opponents. This begs the question - why showing aggression is so wrong for the Indian captain?

Undoubtedly, Kohli is one of cricket's finest batsmen at the moment and will retire as one of the greats of the game. Just like his performance, his aggression and arrogance adds to his charisma because he can back his words with his bat.

It's time we take our rose-tinted glasses, stop with our constant vilification of the world's best player and just let him be the man he is.