Ravi Ashwin reveals the main difference between captaincy styles of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane

Team India had achieved the unthinkable in Australia by winning the four-match Border Gavaskar Trophy without their main players and captain Virat Kohli. Kohli had returned back to India after the first Test for the birth of his first child while Ajinkya Rahane donned the captain hat for the remaining three Test games as India registered two wins and one draw to clinch the series.

However, Ajinkya’s spectacular records while leading the side stirred a debate in the cricket fraternity on who among Kohli and Rahane should lead India in the purest format of the game. India’s leading spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also gave his input on this topic by comparing the captaincy styles of both captain and vice-captain of the Indian team.

Speaking to Times of India, Ashwin reckoned that both Kohli and Rahane lead the team in a similar fashion but the thing that differentiates the two is that Virat is more expressive and communicative while Rahane, on the other hand, is calm and composed.

“I am totally blown away by the kind of comparisons people like to make when it comes to captaincy. I feel this Indian team has had some wonderful results in the past because of quality players and human beings in the dressing room. Virat is more expressive, communicative, and in your face, while Rahane doesn’t do these three things. But the way they captain the side is pretty much similar,” Ashwin said.

Ravi Ashwin opines on being overlooked for vice-captain duties

After Virat returned back to India and Rahane was appointed as the stand-in captain, there were speculations that Ashwin would be named as the vice-captain of the squad. However, the BCCI decided to hand over this responsibility to Cheteshwar Pujara in the second Test while Rohit Sharma donned the hat of the vice-captain in the last two Test matches.

When asked if the spinner was disappointed for being overlooked for captaincy, Ashwin stated, “I am not at all disappointed. I go out there and make my own plans and get my fields that I want. The captains and vice-captains that I have played with have been very supportive of whatever I have wanted.

Leadership is also about leading yourself and keeping your space upbeat for any situation that arises. If you can help another teammate that’s also leadership.”