One of the leading all-rounders in the Indian team for Test cricket, Ravichandran Ashwin recently spoke about the running comparison between Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane when it comes to being the captain of the squad in red-ball cricket.

After the Men in Blue won the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy following a historic victory at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, the debate of who among the two above-mentioned stars should be leading the team in the longest format of the game, has become even more prevalent. 

For Ashwin, however, it is rather odd and surprising that such comparisons are ever happening and here’s why.

As quoted by The New Indian Express, the off-spinner said, “Rahane has led India in about five Tests and Kohli much more and that’s the first difference. I am totally blown away by the kind of comparisons people like to make when it comes to captaincy. 

“All along it was about MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli and their styles of leadership. People just want to pick on it and just talk about it because it makes the headlines.”

“Virat and Rahane have been captain and vice-captain for as long as I can remember now. They lend great balance to the team. I wouldn’t say there is a distinct difference in their style of captaincy. It’s just the people they are. Virat is more expressive, communicative, and in your face, while Jinks doesn’t do these three things. But the way they captain the side is pretty much similar.” 

One of the biggest contributors towards India’s unexpected series win in Australia, Ashwin also explains what Team India did after the disappointing loss they faced at the Adelaide Oval in the first match of the series. This also happened to the match after which Kohli had to come back to India for personal reasons and the captaincy was given to Rahane. 

“As soon as Virat left, it was just an extension and nobody had to tell Jinks how things had to be operated and it was an automatic transition that happened. For me, it was an extension of what’s been happening in the last 5 years,” Ravichandran Ashwin added. 

“We have played under Jinks in the Dharamshala Test (Against Oz in 2017) and then the Test against Afghanistan and we know what to expect. When the players know what to expect, things get a lot easier,” the off-spinner further said.

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