A jelly bean too far

India won the second Test at Trent Bridge to go one up in the series, but all the talk is of jelly beans and the warfare between the two sides. A certain amount of aggression is expected in an heated battle and gives the game that extra edge and adds to the enjoyment.

The jelly bean affair suggests that it went too far and became childish school boy stuff best left in the playground. The field was splattered with jelly beans yesterday, no doubt from spectators after the incident the day before which incensed Zaheer Khan to do some bat waving at Kevin Pieteresen. If it was a ploy to unsettle the Indians by England, it surely backfired on them as Zaheer was so fired up by that incident that he went on to tear down the English lower middle order to shreds. I am sure if that is the desired result, India would not mind that happening again.

England have been aggressive in recent years, especially against the Aussies in 2005 to give them a taste of their own medicine and it worked well then as they hunted in packs. The Aussies themselves have always been aggressive and use it as a weapon to intimidate their opponents mentally even before the game has begun. It has worked well for them but the important thing is they also have the skill to back up any verbal game play. Teams in the Test arena have to expect some of this and be mentally tough to withstand it and give it back.

The question is that when does such behaviour cross the line and is against the spirit of the game. I would say that some of the antics came very close to that and both teams will now be mindful of their behaviour in the next match. Sreesanth in particular was affected by it and may need to review some of his actions. He would do well to look at how Zaheer Khan acted and used it to his advantage. Sreesanth's youth and exuberance are an advantage for him and I remember being very impressed by it when I first saw him in the India A team against England in a warm up game in Baroda in 2006. He caught my eye and I marked him out as a future star then. His attitude in this Test has left me a bit disappointed in him as I think he has let himself, his team and his fans down. He needs to control his mind in the heat of the action and it seems it is a complex mind.

I would prefer to remember the match for the cricket, which was of the highest standard throughout the match.The Fourth day stands out as being one of the best days as it had some classic batting from Michael Vaughan which if it had gone on would have turned the match in England's favour and then a blistering spell of bowling from Zaheer Khan to turn the tide back towards India. That is the kind of day that makes one love this form of the game above any other as it is pure scintillating drama turning one way and then the other.

Both teams now have some time off to reflect and focus on the next match. England will be looking to win the next match as they have not lost a home series since 2001. They will pull out all the stops in an effort to win and we might see some short pitch bowling from their tall bowlers to make use of a bouncy wicket at the Oval. They know that Indian batsmen can be uncomfortable with bounce as was the case in the second innings.

India will want to secure a series win and will not want to loose the advantage. All their players have shown good fight and form and they will want to continue this and clinch the series. They have a wonderful opportunity to do so, only needing a draw, so England will have to do all of the running.

Let us hope that the cricket makes the headlines and there are no jelly beans in sight.