Mumbai (Maharashtra): Rohit Sharma, our blade runner with the Midas touch; our laidback aggressor, our skipper with a thinking mind; our selfless leader who has come up the ranks through a common man’s journey. Our man who was dropped from the 2011 team selection. Our man who scored a dizzying five centuries in the 2019 edition. Our man who speaks more with the bat than in words.
Kane Williamson, another man with the Midas touch; another quiet constructionist; another leader of a few good men in Cricket; the nicest guy going in the game; a skipper contesting for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's "Captain Cool" status; a man who comes from a family of sportsperson; a competitor who competes only with himself; a man with a wicked sense of humour and gentle humour.
The two are from opposite sides of the globe, representing opposite cultures, playing opposite each other as skippers for the first time. The similarities between them are as stark as the differences. Yet, the two share the tag of gentlemen of the game in equal measure. Kane Williamson, the absolute contemporary of Virat Kohli since his under-19 days, is known as a batter with zero ego or attitude. He is also known as a stalwart who has instilled a self-effacing facet to the rest of his squad which depends on his bat as much as the more lionised Men in Blue depend on Rohit Sharma and his fiery starts to the innings.
As a captain, Sharma is considered calm, collected, thoughtful and methodical. His in and out status from the Test team often tested his reputation of being a "talent" with limitations and longevity problems. Over the years, he has grown to be a giant, who looks gentle even when he is pulling 103-meter sixes into the stands.
Leadership, on the other hand, came butter smooth to Williamson, apparently in the lead since school. He was always meant to be and New Zealand, where cricket does not fill up stadia the way Rugby does, gave Kane singular rights to lead the game and shape it to the legendary heights of the All Blacks. He carried out the assignment with a quietude that now defines the Black Caps’ thinking.
Like Rohit, Kane can anchor innings, and become a one-man show. He can read where the game is going like a magnifying glass, making strategies and process to be followed crystal clear. Rohit, who grew into captaincy as an understudy of Virat Kohli, gives his very own branding to strategies. His knowledge of the game is deep but not vocal. His processes are simple and workable.
While the aggression in Rohit comes veneered in delectable laziness, Williamson’s vertical builds are often a quiet surety. If Rohit is the "Hitman", Kane's nickname is "steady the ship”. In both cases, it is the blade that talks in all humility. In both men, there is a staying power of unspoken class. Nothing about the two is searing, yet they are the power players.