IND v ENG Test series: Why it's a matchup of Rohit Sharma and Ben Stokes' captaincy, too

While Ben Stokes became captain in April 2022 of a team that could only go up from its lows of 17 Test losses, Rohit Sharma had a different challenge - to extend the winning streak of Virat Kohli, from whom he took over as captain in February 2022. (Illustration by Suneesh K.)

At first glance, there is no common thread tying Rohit Sharma and Ben Stokes. England’s mercurial Test captain is a lively presence on the field, hurling himself at the ball as if his very life depended on it, sending down over after over of hostile, short-pitched stuff (when he is fit to bowl, that is) even on the most docile of tracks, and turning the course of even a Test match in a matter of a couple of hours with his muscular ball-striking.

His Indian counterpart Rohit Sharma is more old-worldly, calm and assured, and seemingly laidback though nothing could be further from the truth. Rohit isn’t in-your-face, he doesn’t look to make statements with body language and a frenetic bustle, but his affable exterior masks a steely interior. Where Ben Stokes is brutal, Rohit Sharma is a caresser of the cricket ball, a sight for sore eyes with an onus on timing as opposed to the England left-hander’s emphasis on power.

And yet, Rohit and Stokes are far more similar than might be obviously discernible.

The mantle of Test captaincy was bestowed on Stokes in April 2022, in almost a last throw of the dice after England had plumbed the depths under Joe Root. For all the latter’s silken batsmanship, England had won just one of the last 17 Tests with Root at the helm, the low point was a series loss in the Caribbean that convinced the mandarins that a change in leadership, as well as style, was the need of the hour. Out went the SOS to New Zealand-born Stokes, out went a call to Brendon McCullum, the former New Zealand captain, to take over as Test coach. It’s been a partnership made in heaven, driven by unfettered aggression and with scant regard for history or reputation. England have won 13 and lost just five of 19 Tests under Stokes, a vindication of their investment in ‘Bazball’, which microcosms a brazen approach to the game with entertainment and result as equal partners.

Also read: I don't think we are unbeatable, need to play good cricket: Rohit Sharma

Rohit assumed charge across formats in February 2022, once Virat Kohli stepped down from the leadership role in the longer-version during the tour of South Africa the previous month. Where Kohli wore his heart on his sleeve and wasn’t chary of wielding the axe as he espoused the horses-for-courses theory in the company of then head coach Ravi Shastri, Rohit is a firm believer in constancy and stability, traits that have always resonated with Rahul Dravid, the former captain who succeeded Shastri as the head coach. Building on the gains accrued under Kohli – an uncompromising insistence on fitness, as well as a pronounced focus on pace with overseas victories in mind – Rohit has led India with flair and aplomb, evidenced by six wins against three losses in 11 Tests.

Also read: 'Bazball' can fetch me heaps of wickets: Jasprit Bumrah relishes upcoming challenge against England

It’s fair to say that the two contrasting yet similar individuals face the biggest challenges of their respective captaincy stints over the next seven weeks, when India and England go head-to-head in a five-Test series.

England are more accustomed to five-Test skirmishes than their opponents, given that they face Australia in these extended Ashes showdowns every two years. One must go back seven years, to 2016-17, for India’s last five-match series, also against England and also at home. That was a series India lorded under Kohli, winning 4-0 as Alastair Cook’s team came seriously unstuck on good cricket tracks. For India to reprise that score line will require a Herculean effort against a side that has redefined the approach to Test cricket in the last 21 months or so.

‘Bazball’, when it first made its presence felt, was viewed as a double-edged sword which, when it came off, looked spectacular but which could also be spectacularly dismal when it didn’t. The challenge for Stokes and McCullum was to impress upon the players the necessity to commit themselves to the aggressive style, with the guarantee that they would be allowed failures in their bid to adhere to the team plan. To his credit, Stokes has stood by his men, taking the odd meltdown in his stride and encouraging his colleagues to continue to invest in positivity. The results have been obvious for all to see, Stokes’ dynamic leadership and his own brutalising batting contributory factors to the most compelling cricketing innovation since Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket.

Also read: India's Spinball vs England's Bazball: Rohit Sharma's men bank on spin for first strike

Rohit’s challenge when he succeeded Kohli was vastly different. Stokes had to turn England’s fortunes around, not so hard when you consider that English cricket was then lying flat on its back, looking up. Rohit, on the other hand, had to keep India on the winning path, extend the Kohli legacy and carve his own identity which, when all combined, made the task ahead of him daunting. To his credit, and to no one’s surprise, Rohit has performed the balancing act to perfection, picking the best from the past while effortlessly stamping his own brand of leadership on a team that transitioned seamlessly from a volatile style of leadership to a more genteel, less violent brand.

England’s clean sweep of Pakistan in the latter’s backyard under Stokes is a shining feather in their cap, though they will be the first to acknowledge that India is India, where Ashwin and Jadeja and Axar and Kuldeep on the back of Bumrah and Siraj will ask more questions of ‘Bazball’ than have ever been asked. It will be interesting to see whether Stokes is able to keep morale up and rally his troops should India get on top in the early innings and tighten the screws in the first couple of games. If he isn’t, one can rest assured that it won’t be for want of trying.

Rohit faces the arduous task of extending India’s enviable home record; they haven’t lost a series at home since the 1-2 defeat to England in 2012-13 and haven’t been stretched consistently like they will be if Stokes is able to summon the spirit of ‘Bazball’ in its entirety in Hyderabad followed by Visakhapatnam, Rajkot and Ranchi and Dharamsala. India’s hegemony has been occasionally questioned but never seriously threatened in the last decade. Stokes’ England possess the wherewithal to do so, but then again, Rohit’s India, the world’s No. 1 Test side, knows what it takes to ride the punches, bide its time and fight back if that’s what is required of it. Strap in for one crazy ride.