Meet the Ultimate Aggressive International XI!

(Virat Kohli in a heated exchange against Tim Paine of the Australian team)

In the world of cricket, where players are known for their unwavering skills and dedication to the game, some of them are even popular due to their fierceness and aggression on the field. Just imagine a squad where all the aggressive players come and play together as a team; the game will surely be entertaining. From the fierce batsmen to the aggressive bowlers, whom the opponent batsmen fear, this aggressive playing 11 would provide thrillers to the fans almost every over. With their skills and dedication to the game, along with their fearless character in the game, these players would be ready to take every challenge against them on the field.

Our All-time Aggressive Playing XI

Crafting an all-time playing eleven among the most aggressive players, which is a dream team for the fierce matches. From the explosive batsmen to aggressive bowlers, this line-up could be the most aggressive playing 11 of all time in our opinion. Let's have a look at our most aggressive playing 11 of all time.

1. Openers: Gautam Gambhir and David Warner

The former Indian cricket team batsman, Gautam Gambhir, has been known for his heated exchanges both on and off the field. Being a part of the ICC World Cup 2011 winning team and also playing an impressive knock in the finals, Gambhir has been one of the best openers for the Indian cricket team. However, throughout his career, he has been involved in various controversies. One of his famous altercations was against Shahid Afridi in the year 2007, which showed the fans that Gambhir was an aggressive sportsperson. Another famous altercation came against Virat Kohli in the KKR vs RCB match in 2016, where both individuals had some heated exchanges. This even continued in the IPL 2023 season when RCB faced LSG, as Gambhir and Kohli had some heated exchanges after the match.

(Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli after RCB vs LSG match in IPL 2023)

David Warner, another aggressive striker for the Australian cricket team, is also aggressive when he's on the field. Being involved in the ball-tampering issue, Warner has also been a part of various heated moments both on and off the field. His anger was also seen on social media when he tweeted several times regarding Brett Greeves, who is a Tasmanian bowler. He also received a ban from Cricket Australia after he punched Joe Root in a bar after their match in the Champions Trophy 2013.

2. Middle Order: Virat Kohli, Andrew Symonds and Javed Miandad

Virat Kohli is another controversial Indian cricketer known for his involvement in various on-the-field rivalries and sledging. During the India tour of Australia, he showed a middle finger to the Sydney crowd, who were going against him. Kohli was also involved in IPL rivalries against players like Gautam Gambhir, Naveen-ul-Haq, and several others. In another incident, when India was at their practice session in Australia, Virat Kohli abused the journalist who spread the rumours of him and Anushka Sharma being together in a relationship.

Andrew Symonds, another former batsman for the Australian cricket team, was known to be the most controversial player in the 2000s. He was also dropped from the Australia Men's cricket team for a short period of time due to alcohol consumption before their match in the year 2005. Symonds was also a part of the Monkeygate Scandal involving Harbhajan Singh, which, in turn, started his downfall. He has been involved in various controversies in the field, which affected his career in the end stages.

(Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh in Monkeygate scandal)

Javed Miandad, one of the best batsmen for the Pakistan cricket team, was known for his aggression on the pitch. He was also involved in various controversies due to his short-tempered nature. Not only with the players, Miandad has also been a part of various controversies with the umpires, abusing them after being given out on several occasions. One of his famous incidents was when he was about to hit Dennis Lee with his bat when he blocked him from taking a single.

3. Wicket-Keeper: Kamran Akmal

The Pakistani wicket-keeper, Kamran Akmal, has also been one of the most controversial figures in the history of the Pakistan cricket team. In an Asia Cup match against India in the year 2010, he got involved in a heated conversation with Gautam Gambhir, where even the umpires tried to separate these two players. Another controversy also came against India in the year 2012, where he thought that Ishant Sharma abused him during the 18th over of Pakistan's innings.

4. All-rounder: Kieron Pollard and Shakib Al Hasan

Kieron Pollard, who is known for his celebrations, is also popular among the fans being one of the most controversial players in West Indies cricket. During an IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore, he got involved in the most heated IPL exchange of all time against Mitchell Starc. The Australian bowler was about to bowl a delivery while Pollard stepped aside the crease to stop the delivery. In this incident, Starc bowled near Pollard, because of this Pollard threw his bat towards Starc. After this, he was fined 75% of his match fees for breaching the IPL code of conduct.

(Pollard throwing his bat in aggression over Starc)

Shakib Al Hasan has been involved in various controversies revolving around the Bangladesh cricket team. His recent controversy against Angelo Mathews, for appealing to give him time out in the ICC World Cup 2023 sparked various debates among the cricket fans. Shakib also showed his anger at the umpires for not making the decision in his favour, by taking out the stumps and throwing them on the ground. Known for his all-round skills but with some controversies, Shakib Al Hasan was also ruled out by the Bangladesh cricket team in their recent series against Sri Lanka.

5. Bowlers: Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Johnson, and Shoaib Akhtar

The Turbanator, Harbhajan Singh, has been known among cricket fans for his controversies and unplayable spin deliveries. In his first ODI match against Australia, he said some abusive words to Ricky Ponting after taking his wicket, which also started a heated exchange between both of them. He was also involved in the Monkeygate Scandal against Andrew Symonds for calling him a monkey. Another famous incident regarding Harbhajan Singh was the slap saga against S Sreesanth.

Mitchell Johnson, the Australian fast-paced bowler, has been known for his various sledging incidents and controversies on the pitch. Most of his sledging incidents came in The Ashes Test series against England, where Johnson came to be known by the fans for his aggression. He also lashed out at his teammate David Warner after his farewell series, which even sparked debates across the cricket communities.

(Mitchell Johnson sledging Ben Stokes in The Ashes)

Last but not least is the Pakistani pacer, Shoaib Akhtar, who shows his aggression with the bowl and words. He was a part of Pakistan's cricket team in the 1996 Sahara Cup but was sent back shortly due to his disciplinary issues. His controversies started due to his bouncers, for which he revealed that his intention was to hurt the batter. In a Test match against India, where he faced The Wall Rahul Dravid, his anger went into a heated argument shortly.

This is our most aggressive playing 11 of all-time, which could show its fierce skills against other teams and maybe in the team also. Forming the most aggressive playing 11 is not just choosing the player for their skills and dedication to the game; it also relates to their altercations against others on and off the field. What's your all-time aggressive playing 11?