Aggression has become a part of international cricket, and it is just that Indians have been on the receiving end all this time. As the author points out it is the result of passion, pride, fame and money that the game has attracted. The cricketing community will have to learn to accept that if Indians are fiddled around with, they will fire back. It is definitely an aberration to what the Indian culture would preach but it is only a part of surviving under aggressive competitive conditions. And how can English and Aussies even get sleep at night brandishing Indians for aggression. Get on with it pal !

Andy, Paris,

Jelly beans are childish

But lets be honest Australia have been sledging people mercilessly for years and whenever it happens commentators are all the same "Oh isnt this the quiant Australian way its all laughs oh well" Shane Warne threw a ball at Pietersens head just laughed off as good old Aussie agression , he also shouted at the umpires along with the rest of the aussie team in both the 06-07 ashes and the 05 ashes when decisons didnt go there way once again laughed off as the aussies character .
India and England enter into it and both sets of teams are disgraceful characters how does this work .

also England are now apparently stinking cheats by outting jelly beans on the pitch I am interested in knowing what this mkaes India when Dhoni caught a ball that he knew had bounced and they claimed it was out for pietersen who was then sent back? thats worse I have seen absoulotuly nobody raise that

Tom Hammond, London,

Sreesanth got out of jail with a 50% fine. So did the English team. Why stop at jelly beans England-I'm sure you could find a few pebbles around. India should count themselves lucky with the toss but they deserved to win for taking their chances. Well, Taufel made a few mistakes but we in India tend to make huge mountains out of tiny hills. He's still a fine umpire in my book. I thought the most exciting phase was the spell by Sidebottom to Tendulkar;the best part of the test match by far and I'd rate it above Michael Vaughan's class innings simply because the Indians bowled a whole lot of rubbish to him. England seem to have a certain mindset of how they want to be perceived whilst fielding. The Aussie bug has clearly rubbed off onto them. I guess to a certain extent any team would be battle hardened after facing the Aussies but England must realise that the Aussies back their aggression with their superb talent and skills. Vaughan was unlucky and that was the turning point.

Shayne, Pune, India

Well, i was thinking the same as mentioned Christopher Martin-Jenkins on the point of sucking on something sweet. Wouldnt it make the ball to reverse swing??? from that point of view i think its unfair. Sreesanth too, in my view, is a bit of show pony nowadays. He is turning out be like Andre Nel of SA. If he doesnt change, i think he should be barred from playing. Not the best example for kids who want to replicate their heroes. All in all, Cricket is a GENTLEMAN's game. I dont say be soft -- but dont be rude. Thats just not cricket.

ADVANI PRAMOD, BUCHAREST, ROMANIA

the entire english team should be docked theirmatch fee if not 50 % for the jelly bean incident.

apart from being childish and churlish , it could have been a dangerous stunt.

imagine a ball from tremlett or anderson taking off or shooting low after bouncing on the jelly bean .

england wants to try and win the game by an means legal or otherwise.

what a shame for england who refer to cricket as a gentleman's game.

krishnan, hyderabad , andhra pradesh , india

I always thought cricket was a contest of skills and those who resort to their vocabulary are the ones who are not confident about their skill levels. Sadly under the garb of hard and agressive cricket, all kind of rubbish is dished out and also backed up bt the coached and captains. England's tactics in this game were deplorable.

As a disciplinary action, Sreesanth should be sent back to India immediately. The kind of things he did were something I used to see in roadside cricket in Mumbai and certainly has no place at international level. The dignity and grace of this great game has to be respected. Worst of all, his antics were not even backed up by performance (not that it would have justified it).

Suresh, Mumbai, India

I think Christopher Martin-Jenkins's comments are spot on. Ultimately, this so-called "banter" indulged in by the likes of Prior ( boy, doesn't he look tailor-made for such a 'hooligan' role !!) can be stopped only by the on-field umpires. What will it take to get them to act before this mindless chatter descends, as it inevitably will, to racial and similar aspersions, and the game is dragged through the mire. As for Sreesanth, he should be sent home immediately and the Indians would do well to call up Irfan Pathan or Munaf Patel if they are fit.

Jay Amrith, Singapore, Singapore

Ward Briswick . . . typical illiterate Australian. Learn how to spell whinge before you accuse us of doing it. Also I think you'll find every single person (bar me) whingeing on this post is not English.

Toby, London,

Andrew Flintoff would have never descended to such underhand tactics. He won the world's hearts (my little Indian one too) with his good-natured sportsmanship under the pressure of dirty Aussie sledging. Why imitate a country that leads in uncouthness, even if they are the best team? If you have to rely on insulting your opponent to win, that makes your talent questionable. Let mikes pick up the disgraceful slurs made, and punish cricketers like you certainly do with insults in Wimbledon.
Gone are the days when the "fuzzy-wuzzies" deserved taunts and abuse. The "savages" David LLoyd referred to during the fourth day's commentary at Trent Bridge (he said "we should go on a crusade like Richard The Lionheart did, and sort out the savages so we don't have to deal with them"), are closer to his home than he cares to recognize.
Shame on you, Vaughan. Andrew Flintoff made the cricket world proud. Vaughan's just a common bully.

Aleya Pillai, Belper, Derbyshire, UK

It is very sad Christopher Martin-Jenkins did not condemn Jelly Bean affair. He called it a "prank". Had it been Pakistan, India ,he would have been the first one to label them as "CHEATS". It is pity England did what they did.Yet everyone is trying to play down. It was very deliberate attempt to distract attention of the batsmen. Darrel Hair was quick to raise the finger, very wrongly and angrily last year. Here we are no one even ICC is not distrubed by this deliberate attempt. The game can not improve unless there are more fair minded administrators.

zafar, London, u.k

India needs to wake up and learn to be aggressive and politically correct. Why rules are different for Indians. Why England players are not fined. I fully support Sree Santh agressiveness, but he should have been more political and smart in doing so. I liked Zaheer action when he showed his bat to slip fielders.

Even umpires gave worng decisions and no body raised any eyebrows. India as a whole needs to learn to earn respect. If someone is agressive be agressive. If someone is polite be polite and support your own people as England coach supported his players action.

Arvind Agarawal, Detroit, USA

A lot of us here have the view that cricket has changed and since winning matters, one must accept the changing times and also accept the gamesmanship that comes along with it. Winning has always been important in cricket. However, one needs to remember that its only a sport. Events witnessed at Trent Bridge ( on both playing sides) are only going to justify the line of thought that winning is everything. If that were to be the case, let us not treat cricket as a sport anymore and just as another profession. For those readers who speak for sledging, I ask - How would it feel if someone at your office keeps disturbing your thought process once every two minutes by references to the car you own, the race you belong to, your body parts and so on? We need to figure out for ourselves when we turn on the TV - what do we want to watch? A sport that is a translation of our best physical and mental abilities or one more reminder of the denigration of the human race

Rajanikanth Manchi, Chennai, India

Sledgeing should be punished and punished hard. People who do not have the sporting skill to defeat the other on fair ground resort to this. It is an act of spineless cowards. You ban a player for 10 games and all the others will learn a lesson. Call of the English coach to switch off the mikes is like disarming the police who are suppose to catch criminals. If an international cricketer does not know how to behave on the field the world should know that. He should be made ashamed of himself.

Bhanu , Colombo, Sri Lanka

Sreesanth is uninformed, immature and irresponsible. He seems to be under the illusion that his display of mindless aggression will turn him into a better bowler. What he probably does not know is that the great aggressive fast bowlers have the talent and performance to back up their aggression. If he can first sort this out, and it is imperative that the Indian team management works on this rightaway, he is welcome to wear his aggression on his sleeve without being boorish.

Diwakar, Madras, INdia

Cricket was considered a gentlemen's game and it is unfortunate that an English Team should stoop to such juvenile tactics to distract players. A little sledging is indeed acceptable in the heat of the battle but these players are carrying things too far. In the Indian camp Sreeshant needs a stern warning that he cease and desist from his stupid antics and should be made to sit out the next game unless he openly and genuinely apologises.

ramiz pirzada, Bellevue, USA/Wa

Being indian i feel shamefull, what Sreesanth did in test cricket,On the name of hard cricket one cant do anythingh .one wanted to do. I belive in this test match this is the only low point for india. Ofcource prior and his companey need the check theri head with compitant Dr. so that they can focused their mind on game rather other silly thing. see the Zaheer,, Trelmet and Kumbale play hard and aggressive cricket but didnt cross the line.

shiv govind singh, Mumbai, India

I think we should alll look at the only superstar [with the fans ] of this game, Rahul Dravid and see how he handles himself on the pitch and outside

schuster, AD,

on a lighter side, the comment by the english about the PORSCHe car would surely not have been aimed at the big 3 - Dravid, Ganguly and sachin - since all 3 of them would reply back - "yeah we have some of them iin the garage - we need a driver- are you free!!!!".
Maybe it was aimed at jaffer who does not feature in any ads so far!!!
All said and done, this series with its high (albeit arguable) intensity has brought back the interest in test cricket and the Oval test would be one of the most eagerly awaited tests in recent times.

Kannan, bangalore, India

As a cricketer, i feel the Umpires need to step in when the captain fails to do his job..lobbing anything at the crease or the batsman other than bowling to him is not in the spirit of the game. Vaughn shouldh ave been fined for not havign proper control over his team a,d futher more the players that were guilty of doing that should have been sent off the field for the rest of the days play and no substitute allowed to Punish the offenders. There is one thing in makgn comments to unsettling a batsman but to throw thigns at him is Utter Nonsence. Sending off the offender and not allowing a sub would send a message rather quickly to the team and guilty player

Kumar, New York, USA

What are the English and Indians doing at each others throats? Why can't we peacefully share the respectful traditions that unite the cricketing world, hatred of arrogant Aussies. Just read some of their comments posted here, it makes it a lot easier.

There, doesn't that feel better?

Oz Fest, Christchurch, NZ

The ex-players on Sky have a giggle and say it's all part of the game. If a golfer started whistling or clicking his fingers while his opponent was about to putt in a major tournament there would be hell to pay. Sledging is an attempt to wreck a batsman's concentration just before he faces a delivery. It's cheating yet the umpires don't stop it. When will we get a match referee to do what he's paid for? I have to sleep with the lights on at night after all those close-ups of Prior's teeth and I'm getting sick of his infantile comments. If Lloyd, Athers and Nass start condemning cheating I will put pepper on my box and eat it. Alan Jones, Portslade, Sussex

Alan Jones, Portslade, Sussex

The English team are being sore losers. Why is it always Asian countries that seemed to be punished while the English go away scot free? Kevin Pietersen is so rude and arrogant- see the smile on his face during the jellybean incident. They are acting so childish. Grow up! As for the Indian team, they did react quite aggressively but had the right to given what the english have done. And its paying off: India 1, England 0......

Ajay, Boston, USA

I always thought cricket was a contest of skills and those who resort to their vocabulary are the ones who are not confident about their skill levels. Sadly under the garb of hard and agressive cricket, all kind of rubbish is dished out and also backed up bt the coached and captains. England's tactics in this game were deplorable.

As a disciplinary action, Sreesanth should be sent back to India immediately. The kind of things he did were something I used to see in roadside cricket in Mumbai and certainly has no place at international level. The dignity and grace of this great game has to be respected. Worst of all, his antics were not even backed up by performance (not that it would have justified it).

Suresh, Mumbai, India

By putting jelly beans on the pitch not once but twice the English team were repeatedly calling Zaheer a CHEAT though he had got his wickets legitimately. The 'shocking' part is that the Match Referee has not hauled the English team for bringing the game into 'disrepute' and fined them as he correctly did for the unpardonable behaviour of Sree Santh.
Gamesmanship a synonym for CHEATING was perpetrated by the English players and they are laying it on Zaheer. Whether it fired up Zaheer or not the end result clearly showed that the English should have applied their minds to playing cricket than the pursuit of childish 'mind games'.

Prakash, Bangkok, Thailand

Before we go on and on and on about jelly beans, I say the priority should be to get Sreesanth comitted or atleast ban him from playing international cricket until he has regained his sanity. Being an Indian myself and what more, sharing the native place with the guy I'm sad to say this, but Sreesant is bad news not just for Indian cricket but fot the game itself unless he gets his act together.

m neelan, cochin, india

i totally agree that England did all kind of kiddish tactics in this game ... but being an Indian seeing sreeshanth doing all the needless stupid and irritating things i wouldn't complain about england..... if i was the captain i would not consider him for the next match.i think the fame has got into his head what else would u think seeing him imitate other bowlers and not bowling a good length at all.

Lux, New York, USA

Prior is unfit for cricket. He should play football. Sreesanth deserves a hard kick up his backside. Darrell Hair was incompetent if not stupid. Justice demands that there should be an aggrrieved person (in this case a batsman), the police will investigate (in this case the third umpire), the DPP will prosecute (in this case a collective decision) and the judge will decide guilt or innocence. In this case Darrell Hair took upon himself all four jobs and made a mess of it with no evidence. That is why he was incompetent if not stupid.

Vijay Kaul, London, UK

This is nuts. If this was Australia, they'd be picked out as being ultra competitive and the media would be asking England to 'Man Up' and play hard like the ozzies. OK, so the Indians are insulted by the sweet throwing, but no ones inoccent in this, but it has been blown out of all proportion. Cricket will always be a gentlemans game, but if you want results, like we all do, then we can't expect England to stand there with smiles on their faces when bowlers are throwing 85mph balls at our batsmens heads, accident or not.

PS: You can't compare all aspects of one sport to another, it doesn't work.

N Evely, London,

Many of our Cricket writers are stuck in the past, or have a whistful view of Cricket as something still played on the village common with a Vicar XI vs Village Gentlemen XI.

It's a professional sport where winning matters, the chat and gamesmanship is just part of that, it's accepted practice at the top level. Personally i've loved the 'edge' to this series, it's much more interesting when there are a few personal battles going on and there is a bit of needle between players, than a hum drum dead series like the WI.

It was a fantastic test, not won or lost by a few comments, a shoulder barge or some jelly beans scattered on the crease, but by quality batting and bowling.

Stuart Turner, London,

This is not good - the Aussies are having a bean feast! They may be a hard bunch of bs but at least they have never been accused of beating people with a bag of sweets. Yesterday I was saddened to find that the English team were slagging just like I have heard the Aussies do, instead of behaving like gentlemen and resorting to their moral fibre in the face of adversity. Well, to imitate the Australian team of heros is one thing (pity they can't imitate them in getting stuck in and winning matches) but to resort to primary school tactics will turn supporters into enemies and to another channel.
I don't like the idea of a 'M D'. The old people knew about these things and that's why they made the captain responsible; It has to be; "one more jellybean and you're out!" Otherwise get rid of the whole lot of them because they are leaving us open to ridicule and making the Aussies look good even off the field.
John C, Cork, (ex Liverpool)

John Cullen, Cork, Ireland

Regardless of the score, I don't think either team can walk away from Trent Bridge with their heads held high. The Jelly Bean incident is well documented here, but from the members stand we also had to suffer a foul mouthed outburst from one Indian batsman. This sort of behaviour is hardly justified by the fact that he had been judged out by an incorrect decision. There were several minors in the pavilion seats who witnessed this, what must they have thought.
Several comments were made on the radio over the weekend about cricket becoming irrelevant in the modern age. Well, so be it, but it is entirely this link with a better behaved past that attracts many of us serious cricket fans to the game. Behaviour on the "terraces" is already eroding this, hopefully the behaviour of the players will not go the same way.

Chris Pindar, Tixall, England

I think it is disgracwful that england placed sweets on the pitch. Had it been the other way round then people would have accused the Indians of cheating. I think England should make a point of letting the public know who the culprit was and ensuring that he gives a public apology to Zaheer. The beamer that Sreesanth bowled is very unlikey to be deliberate, as when he tries to bowl a yorker it can sumtimes go wrong. Also every bowler knows that they risk the chance of being unable to bowl for the rest of the innings if it happens on two more occasions.

Mitesh Kakad, London, UK

So, should the england team be called "Jelly bean kiddos"? Sledging is one thing, throwing jelly beans at batsmen is altogether new foolish level. What if the batsmen also carry some jelly beans next time & a war of throwing jelly beans start b/w the fielders & the batsmen? Can't wait to see something like that on a cricket pitch :)

Ragz, Houston, USA/TX

Why wasn't KP or Paul Collingwood fined / disciplined for spilling the beans on to the playing area? That act of stupidity from English players aggravated their own poor showing in the first innings and Zaheer Khan came up trumps with the ball in the second dig too. Sreesanth deserved to be fined for indulging in contact sport. It's wake up time for both captains to have a good chat to the players prior to the Oval test.

Murali, Sydney, Australia

The ex-players on Sky have a giggle and say it's all part of the game. If a golfer started whistling or clicking his fingers while his opponent was about to putt in a major tournament there would be hell to pay. Sledging is an attempt to wreck a batsman's concentration just before he faces a delivery. It's cheating yet the umpires don't stop it. When will we get a match referee to do what he's paid for? I have to sleep with the lights on at night after all those close-ups of Prior's teeth and I'm getting sick of his infantile comments. If Lloyd, Athers and Nass start condemning cheating I will put pepper on my box and eat it.

alan jones, Portslade, Sussex

A bit of banter is part of the game and should remain so. Unfortunately though there is no one definition of right or wrong when different cultures & personalities go head to head on the playing field. I feel this is exacctly what happened in the 2nd test. If the english close in fielders were guilty of a childish prank and Sreesanth was equally immature to shoulder barge Vaughn and thow a deliberate No Ball. It reminded me of baseball and that, to chose a harsh word, disgusted me.

I think players and captains are the best judge of what is right and what is wrong and ICC has the right structure in place to monitor them if they do deviate. All in all it was a great test match and i am expecting more of the same in the 3rd match.

Amit Bajaj, Columbus, Indiana

Agreed. The media should avoid double standards. If Brett Lee bowls a beamer or a mcgrath bowls a beamer, it is unintended, but if Sreesanth bowls it, he should be banned from playing cricket. The match refree says "He is concerned about the players behaviour", what about when Aussies sledge and throw tantrums. There should never be double standards. And i think at least the media is a little more honest. When Gavaskar openly questioned aussie attitude, nobody agreed with him. If you dont have the guts to control the aussies, dont bother controlling the rest.

sankar, pittsburgh, usa

Problem is not cricket or crickters, its the common thinking running on back of every player on the feild. What was said by English players to Indians, was not just for one player ...... it actually talked about there understanding of a normal human residing in India. When India defeats English in there own grounds, its then they will realize its not important which car you drive onthe road because a loser is a loser, no matter what he drives !!

raghuvamshi, bangalore, India

The jellybeans saga should not distract from the fact that India performed well and deserved the win. I for one cannot wait for England to tour india because when the boot is on the other foot, not to mention 100,000 hostile indian supports in the stadium, lets see if England perform to the same standard that India did in adverse conditions.
Sledging should form part of cricket but when it gets personal, the Match referee should intervene and levy a fine or more runs to the batting team.

Naresh, London,

i wish sree santh learns what the internationa cricket is. He and andrew nel are the two bowlers who are talented, but not know how to behave on the field. they should look at the bowlers around who are doing well and also behaving well. they compete hard but do not show aggression. sree has long way to go. if he understands his responsibility then he can become a fairly good bowler. i think indian selectors have madi a wrong choice by picking him for the test series in england. it would have been better option if they have choosen ajit agarkar in place of him.
manish tiwari, new delhi

manish tiwari, new delhi, india

The Stump microphones should be audible on TV coverage at all times. If what is said is not sutable for the public it should not be said. What logic is their in a batsmen being disciplined for minor dissent ( shake of the head, holding the bat edge etc when given out) but allowing far more unsporting conduct and trying to pretend it hasn't happened. Sledging in the proper manner can be funny and add to the overall entertainment value, abuse should be stamped out!

Robert Ogle, Retford, Notts

Sreesanth was fined - but what about the English players who threw jelly beans. Don't they need to be fined? If it is an Australia England Match, only England will get fined. But if it is an India Australia or India England Match India will get fined. I think it is time we took a closer look at the way Match Referees are going on about their Job. That incident in South Africa Mike Dennes was no different. And Madugalle seems to have a SOFT corner for Indians when it comes to fining!!

Mathew, Bangalore, India

The reaction by Collingwood ..' maybe he prefers..' is a testimony of the guy's thinking and it stinks.He is not a kid but the captain of the one day team and it reflects the character..to put it mildly...stupidity.

noel jan, bangkok,

As an Indian I am quiet happy with the jelly bean tactics employed by the Poms. You lads just keep worrying about what colour jelly bean you want to throw on the pitch or the next useless sledge you plan on directing at the opposition. India will keep concentrating on winning cricket matches. It's working so far...
India: 1
England: 0

YeshM, Vic, Oz

To all my fellow Indians going on about jellybeans, two words - Sree Santh. I'd recommend having a look at this guy's infantile behavior - justified as aggression by the Indian media - before picking on the English. I'm not surprised there hasnt been a word from the Indian press about him. Oh, and any club cricketer will tell you whether the beamer was intentional or not.

Ajay, Mumbai, India

england cheat at cricket,lose but losewith pride. asad end to a great game in england, to laugh at thewoesof the tour d france is to laugh at cricket.on a positive note, england should qualify for 2007 and fit right in.

michael joseph heavey, cahersiveen/adams town, madness

Thank you for this article. Dravid should take Sree Santh to task, and if need be leave him out of the next match. He is a disgrace to Indian culture.

John Nathan, Kristiansand, Norway

Jelly beans or otherwise I would say the better team has won. Cricket is a gentleman's game. Let us get along with it. The third test promises more excitement and hopefully more sportsmanship. May the best team win.

DEVASIS Chowdhury, BANGALORE, INDIA

Typical wingeing Poms.

Ward Brisick, Maleny, Australia

To re-iterate a point I made a few years ago on Five Live, cricketers are lucky they play on a big field. Can you imagine them getting away with all this infantile chat on the Centre Court at Wimbledon or Roland Garros? If a tennis player utters a word to his opponent (as opposed to the umpire) it is headlines and almost certainly results in painful financial censure. But even with the stump mike, the public rarely get to hear anything that passes between players on a cricket field. Maybe they should all be miked and be forced to accept the ridicule that would follow.

Richard Evans, Richmond, Virginia, USA

nice suggestion but, as jingle said, "won't do". the icc won't support non-asian umpires. chucking is worse sledging, and where did those umpires end up? coventry. ball-tampering is worse again, and we see where that got hair: sent to erewhon, poor chap.

coffeesnob, melbourne, oz

Could believe my eyes when I read one comment that dismissed adverse comments on The English Cricketers behaviour as "High minded ravings". Mate that's what we all have had to hear from you lot for years. Your team never sledges , never appeals needlessly ,never behaves badly etc.
Many here still remember The "team appeal " when the ball hit Mcgrath on the shoulder and the booing of the Australian captain and players at the end of the Perth Test match
Placing objects on the pitch -and some of the comments picked up by the on field microphones have show that you are and have been as good at "it" as any one else.
Give up the high moral ground, open your eyes and ears to reality

John Payne, Pt Vincent, South Australia

Jellybeans to win a game? England are a pathetic team! My goodness! What a disgrace!

Ram Jethmalani, Houston, USA

Could believe my eyes when I read one comment that dismissed adverse comments on The English Cricketers behaviour as "High minded ravings". Mate that's what we all have had to hear from you lot for years. Your team never sledges , never appeals needlessly ,never behaves badly etc.
Many here still remember The "team appeal " when the ball hit Mcgrath on the shoulder and the booing of the Australian captain and players at the end of the Perth Test match
Placing objects on the pitch -and some of the comments picked up by the on field microphones have show that you are and have been as good at "it" as any one else.
Give up the high moral ground, open your eyes and ears to reality

John Payne, Pt Vincent, South Australia