Virat Kohli’s fire versus Kane Williamson’s ice could be the cricket rivalry of the decade

A delivery from Ravichandran Ashwin had pitched a couple of feet outside off stump. It should have been a harmless delivery that Kane Williamson would work on to the off side. Instead, the off break spun square and beat the New Zealand captain and his bat to disturb the timber.

The obscenity of the turn, in the first innings of a Test, should have angered the visiting skipper. But it is not easy to ruffle Williamson. He has a polite personality, almost too soft for a leader. But he leads with his bat, by example. He is almost the anti-thesis of the modern-day, brash cricketer.

The difference in personalities

On the field, he talks and discusses more than he shouts and orders. With his teammates, friends and relatives or with the fans waiting for him in the hotel lobby, he smiles more than he grimaces. On Saturday, in the first innings at Green Park in Kanpur too, he smiled after he was dismissed by the unusual turn the pitch had offered. He smiled out of helplessness, he smiled out of the satisfaction of his 75 having handed his team an opportunity to fight and he smiled, because it was what he did best.

About 24 hours later, Virat Kohli was caught in the deep attempting to slog Mark Craig’s off-spin. The pitch had not misbehaved, the Indian captain had not fallen to a false umpire call and nor was his walk back to the pavilion because of an exceptional delivery or a breath-taking catch. But the moment Ish Sodhi completed the catch at deep mid-wicket, Kohli raised his bat – held with both hands – and threatened to destroy the pitch. He stopped just short, but there was frustration, there was anger. All in all, it was a typical Kohli reaction.

India’s Test skipper is different. He paints his emotions for the world to see. His opponents know what he thinks of a particular situation. His teammates definitely know what he makes of the situation. Kohli may not be accessible to the autograph and selfie-hunting fans, but the animated India Test skipper is certainly a favourite among the supporters that throng the stadiums.

After getting to his half-century in India’s second innings on Sunday, Ravindra Jadeja decided to swirl his bat like a sword to celebrate. But not one to waste time, Kohli mimicked his teammate’s ways and asked him to return to the dressing room since the team had declared. It was entertaining for the supporters who caught it, while Kohli had minced no words, or actions, in putting his point across to Jadeja.

Both Kohli and Williamson like to lead by example. They are both the reigning cricket stars in their respective countries. They are among the best in the world. They could end up having rivalries similar to the ones shared by Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara. Their rivalry could define this era of cricket. Their rivalry could give the game a new host of fans, while retaining its old set. They are set to be the superstars the game could have lacked after the legends of the last era hung their boots.

But despite all these similarities, they will remain contrasting players. Contrasting greats. Just like the contrast in their personalities.

Their shot-making mirrors their temperament

When Williamson bats, he defines grace. He is not in-your-face. In his stance, he taps the bat, glances towards the bowler and is a picture of concentration. At the crease, it is Williamson and his game. He makes little noise about his presence. There is little threatening about him.

He almost welcomes the bowler running in with the objective of sending him back to the hut. He is, similarly, welcoming of almost every delivery that meets his bat. He does not venture out in pursuit of punishing the delivery. He waits for the delivery to come to him, before playing any shot he deems fit. But almost every shot he deems fit is a part of the textbook. With Williamson, batsmanship is all elegance and class.

There was a particular Jadeja delivery that went on with the arm and was headed towards Williamson’s stumps. As befitting his game, he waited for the ball to come closer. He waited for so long that you were almost sure that the ball would meet its destination – the stumps.

And then, he cut it. Just before the ball could disturb the symmetry of the stumps, Williamson had cut it away from danger, and for runs towards third man. The late cut goes well with his game. It is a shot he plays well too. It is also a shot that allows the captain of New Zealand to have better outings on sub-continental wickets than his colleagues.

Various Kiwi greats have visited India and have failed. Williamson was thrown into the deep end of the Indian pool, on debut. But not only did he survive and learn to swim, he thrived with a century on debut in Ahmedabad. It was the same quality of playing the ball late that helped him announce himself on the biggest stage in conditions historically hostile for the Kiwis. It is the same quality that enabled him to rack up 3,000 runs quicker than any New Zealander, or even Don Bradman for that matter. He already has 14 Test centuries since his first game six years ago. And he has smiled his way to the figure, without asking the world to sit back and take notice.

But Kohli wants you to notice his presence

Kohli has two centuries fewer than his Kiwi counterpart. But it would not feel so, mainly because almost each time he has scaled that three-figure mark, you would have known it. The cuss words on reaching the milestone may have reduced, but exaggerated celebrations remain. A century is special for any cricketer. Except Kohli, unlike Williamson, makes sure that the world knows how much it had meant to him.

While Williamson is likely to graft you into submission, Kohli is expected to char you alive. In his stance, Kohli almost plonks his bat at the crease and stares back at the bowler approaching him. The stare is unflinching and intimidating. He is already engaged in a battle with the bowler. Kohli’s artistry starts even before he has faced the ball. And in his case, the bat does not wait for the ball. The bat sets out on a journey to find the ball and hand it the ultimate punishment. There is a trigger movement towards the ball, defining intent, that also appears to be Kohli’s way of reminding the ball and the bowler who the boss is.

Mitchell Santner, New Zealand’s left-arm spinner, produced a delivery similar to what Jadeja had bowled to Williamson. The ball was on track for a collision with the stumps, if the path remained unobstructed. But unlike the Kiwi captain, Kohli took a step forward and defended the ball on to the off side. He had averted danger too, but he did not wait for the ball. He went ahead and met the ball before it could turn more threatening. He had taken matters in his own hands, like he has always preferred to.

The 2014 tour of England had been a nightmare for the Indian Test skipper. He could amass only 134 runs at a pitiful average of 13.40. The opposition bowlers were almost eager to bowl to him, waiting to exploit his glaring weakness outside his off stump. But the horror of one series did not destroy the Test batsman in Kohli. Instead, he did what he does best – took matters in his own hands. And by the time Australia was upon him, the flaws had been ironed. He slammed four centuries Down Under, almost pulling off an incredible heist in Adelaide.

In the first Test against New Zealand, Williamson’s batting trumped Kohli’s. The Kiwi skipper has marginally better Test batting stats than his Indian counterpart, and a better one-on-one showing kept that intact. Kohli saved face by marshalling his troops to a victory in the game.

But knowing the Indian captain’s single-minded obsession with self-improvement, this is hardly the end. Two more Tests await. Will the ice of Williamson’s bat outlast the fire of Kohli’s willow? Let’s wait and watch.