5 Indian cricketers who fought with at least one player from every other team
India, over the past couple of decades, have shown that they are no longer the side that were there to just participate in a game of cricket. The Men in Blue have had some fiery characters who weren't shy of giving back to the opposition, be it with their aggressive body language or through sledging.
The aggression brought on by former captains like Sourav Ganguly and Virat Kohli continues to live on even in the current team. This has also been one of the main factors why Team India can no longer be intimidated by the opposition, no matter what conditions they're playing in.
On that note, let's take a look at five such Indian players who have had a history of wearing their hearts on their sleeves:
#5 Ravichandran Ashwin
"Can't wait to get you to the Gabba"
"Can't wait to get you to India, it will be your last series"
Tim Paine v Ravichandran Ashwin.
Throwback to the famous verbal fight during the Australia-India test series, 2021.
https://t.co/y3EKafxRON
Ravichandran Ashwin came onto the scene as a skillful off-spinner but a man of few words. He made his ball do the talking for the initial few years of his career. But as he grew into an important part of whichever team he played for, he began to show his emotions on the field.
Ashwin's feud with Jos Buttler during the 2019 IPL has been well-documented, where he ran the batter out at the non-striker's end. Since then, there has been a lot of talk around Ashwin about the 'Spirit of Cricket'.
However, the veteran off-spinner continues to have a no-nonsense attitude which has also helped him become a ruthless bowler. He has sledged the likes of Mitchell Starc and also Tim Paine during the latest Border-Gavaskar Trophy over the years, which proves he isn't going to stick around and listen to the chirping around.
#4 Ishant Sharma
The ICC have charged Ishant Sharma, Dhammika Prasad, Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne for day 4's events #SLvIND http://t.co/kNnQGhjJhF
Ishant Sharma will go down as one of the best fast bowlers India has ever produced in Tests. A vital part of Virat Kohli's pace attack that looked to dominate the world, Ishant has been a true workhorse and an unsung hero.
One of his most heated moments, however, will always be his face-off against Sri Lanka pacer Dhammika Prasad. In the 2015 series away to Sri Lanka, Ishant constantly provoked Prasad to hit him on his helmet by bowling bouncers.
This led to his tussle with quite a few players from the opposition and that was just the added motivation India needed to win the series 2-1. Ishant has also had some infamous duels, one being against Pakistan's Kamran Akmal which added more flair to the India-Pakistan rivalry.
#3 Rohit Sharma
@Gillian_Price It was probably in an ODI played back in January 2015 at Melbourne where Rohit scored a century IIRC,Warner had a go at Rohit when India was 185-2 or that sort of score
One of the best white-ball openers in modern-day cricket, Rohit Sharma is often compared to MS Dhoni as someone who likes to remain calm in crunch situations. But there were moments where the opener also went a bit in overdrive with his emotions.
Rohit smashed a scintillating T20I hundred against South Africa in Dharamshala in 2015. But his argument with Kagiso Rabada grabbed eyeballs as he gestured to the bowler that he had smashed him right over the head.
In the tri-series before the 2015 World Cup, Rohit scored a brilliant hundred at the MCG. But even in that game, he didn't back off when Australian players like David Warner tried to sledge him.
#2 Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir was one of the most passionate players of his time and naturally, he was involved in quite a few exchanges with the opposition, especially with Pakistan players.
His infamous face-off with Shahid Afridi while the two collided during the series in 2007 is still talked about as one of the most fierce moments between the arch-rivals. Gambhir also fought with Kamran Akmal during an Asia Cup game.
Even against Australia, Gambhir was banned for a game when he had a fiery moment with Shane Watson which also involved physical contact. Irfan Pathan rightly said in an interview that whenever India faced teams like Pakistan, they used to let Gambhir be himself and intimidate them.
#1 Virat Kohli
Virat kohli showing his biceps to Mitchell Johnson after smashing him. https://t.co/kapbs8fn21
There was never any doubt as to who was going to make it to the top of this list. Although Virat Kohli has molded himself into quite a mellow personality who let his bat do the talking, that was not the case a few years ago.
Like any young Delhi boy, Kohli was absolutely fearless and believed in giving back to the opposition. Right from his very first Test hundred against Australia in Adelaide, Kohli developed a love-hate relationship with the Australian team and the crowd.
Ben Hilfenhaus, James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Steve Smith and Tim Paine are just a few names among many who have tried to sledge Kohli. But the former Indian captain was more than happy to get involved as that was what brought the best out of him. True Indian fans will always remember Kohli's peak where he dominated with both bat and with words.