New stars make a splash

The emotion of a cricket team flows through its captain. During MS Dhoni's tenure at the helm of Indian cricket, emotions remained calm and concealed while the advent of Virat Kohli has made the team more expressive and aggressive.

Dhoni definitely sowed the seeds of a young and vibrant team, who would express themselves on the pitch without fear of selection but Virat Kohli has combined the aggression and never-say-die attitude beautifully in the dressing room.

What is most heart-warming in the Indian team is the collective effort and performance that is flowing through. For a very long time, Indian cricket fans have depended on the heroics of Sachin Tendulkar, such that the very moment he would fall down, the hopes of billions would crash.

Virat Kohli is touted as the Sachin of this generation yet there's a stark difference in the team composition of today. The team isn't all about Virat Kohli. There's a new hero emerging with each match that makes the mix strong and future prospect of Indian cricket much more exciting.

Be it the one-match 300 of Karun Nair, the emergence of Jayant Yadav, the important contributions of Hardik Pandya in the ODIs, Jasprit Bumrah and Ashish Nehra stepping up for the team in the 2nd T20 against England or Yuzvendra Chahal's historic 6-wicket haul in the final T20 against England; the triple feat of the Indian side — wins in the Tests, the ODIs and the T20s — has been achieved because it was truly a team performance where each member believed in the need and importance of oneself.

When Virat Kohli was questioned about his opening slot in the England T20 series, he said, "There are 10 other players on the team, focus on them too. It's a good series win for us so please enjoy it."

That goes on to show that the Indian cricket team is not riding on a single shoulder and therefore the performance of each performance is being looked after since no one is over-burdened with responsibilities. Virat Kohli even said, "It doesn't matter if I'm captain or Mahi bhai [Dhoni] was captain before. The talk has always been to take responsibility as individuals. It's about wanting to make a difference for Team India and taking equal ownership of the team. That's the only way the team can become a champion side. And that's one reason why we've bounced back from difficult situations."

There's a fabulous amount of mental strength in this Indian side where each player is willing to push their limits and put India in a good spot. On the domestic front as well, there are stars rising and of course, the 'wall' of Indian cricket Rahul Dravid, is there to groom them all and ready them for international responsibilities.

With Rahul Dravid nurturing the young and Anil Kumble guiding the grown, Indian cricket seems to be in safe hands. With Kohli infusing the power, determination and right aggression in the young Indian side and MS Dhoni putting his smartness and experience to good use, the Indian cricket team seems to be heading in all the right directions.