Temperamentally, they are like chalk and cheese but for every Virat Kohli, an Ajinkya Rahane is needed. This is because they come together to create a nice balance of caution and aggression that any champion outfit needs.
Rahane showed on Saturday that he is unique as a leader but Kohli also reminded his fans and critics alike that a shoulder bruise can’t force him to lie low.
Kohli was the non-playing captain on the day, carrying drinks during one of the breaks with opposition skipper Steve Smith on a rampage.
When Kuldeep Yadav returned to his fielding position at the boundary after dismissing David Warner, Kohli walked up to the debutant with a bottle of energy drink and offered the rookie spinner some valuable tips.
"He (Virat) congratulated me on my maiden wicket and reminded me of our plans about various batsmen. If your captain is not playing yet motivating from outside, it can’t get better than this," Kuldeep said at the end of the day’s play.
Rahane on the other hand was different and distinct in his style of leadership. He stood at slips, took a couple of good catches, discussed with another senior Cheteshwar Pujara while making some changes in bowling.
It was more of a Dhoni-like presence.
When Umesh Yadav mis-fielded with a ball taking a wicked spin, Rahane flashed a smile rather than frown.
And yes, not for once in the 88.3 overs did he use the Decision Review System. Not that there was any close calls but he didn’t even bother about half-hearted appeals, something different from Kohli.
Matthew Wade found a "calm" Indian team on the field without a lot of noise.
"I thought they were very, very good. They were calm and went about their work today. They weren't over-excited, they just went about their work."
