What sets Kohli apart

Way back in 2008, a boisterous 19-year-old Virat Kohli led the U-19 Men in Blue to the World Cup glory in Malaysia. It was India's inspiring win defending a mere total of 159 against South Africa, that set the tone for his captaincy.

Cut to 2017 and the Delhi lad has led the Indian Test side to a 19-match unbeaten streak surpassing Sunil Gavaskar's record of captaining India to 18 straight games without a loss from 1976-1980.

As India defeated Bangladesh in the historic one-off Test in Hyderabad, Virat Kohli also overtook Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni winning six consecutive Test series as the captain of the Indian national team.

Virat Kohli has been a dynamic Test captain winning 15 of the 23 Tests and losing only 2, the last being against Sri Lanka at Galle in August 2015.

Both Ganguly and Dhoni have been extremely successful captains as the statistics speak for them, but Kohli brings with him a different energy, a distinct feel on the pitch. Here's what sets Captain Kohli apart from his predecessors.

Virat Kohli, since his arrival on the big platform of the Indian cricket, has been criticised for being too expressive and aggressive on the field. His verbal spats and on-field antics are as much a part of his legacy as his monstrous batting skills. His aggression is exactly what makes him so dangerous.

Overtime, Kohli has learnt to channelise his natural aggression into the right areas. One rarely sees a Kohli meltdown now but it is his batting and energy on the field that does the talking. It is this aggression and passion that seems to have translated in his team and henceforth, the Indian team looks so attacking and upbeat.

Virat Kohli is an attacker, and there are no second thoughts about that. The genius batsman has been constantly breaking records and setting new ones. Barring England, the stylish right-hander has hit the bowlers all across the world. Kohli thrives under pressure and his sharp instincts seem to get stronger when put under troublesome conditions and this particular quality has been transmitted to the whole team. The team looks to be finding ways out of tough situations, never letting go of the bundled energy.

Another very distinctive attacking instinct that is seen under Kohli's leadership is the fielding set-up. There's an intimidating move that Kohli regularly applies where he sets a tight leg-side chain of five fielders inside the circle, three of them in catching positions. The set-up cramps the room for batsmen to find their shots and with the bowlers bowling shot or good-length, the frustration begins to build which increases the chances of batsmen going wrong.

A rarity in the history of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli actually has a bank of fast and consistent pacers to work along. Spinners in India have always been plenty but the rise of Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, all at once has proved to be extremely beneficial for Kohli's captaincy.

Kohli produces a good and intelligent mix of pace and spins not letting batsmen set into a single style and tone of the play. Also seen in the recently-concluded one-off Test against Bangladesh, Kohli throws a combination of pace and spin from both sides simultaneously thus, bringing in some valuable variation on the pitch. Like, Kohli made Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja attack the batsmen from both ends at a particular time in the Test while bringing in the combination of Yadav/Bhuvneshwar-Ashwin at another time.

On Indian tracks that mainly assist the spinners, Kohli's constant trust in his pacers have given them enough room to work and improve and that have yielded results.

The responsibility of captainship has truly worked wonders for Kohli. Ever since he became the captain, he's only got better as a batsman. The right-hander has time and again shouldered his batting responsibilities brilliantly setting an example for his teammates and giving everyone a free space to play their natural game. Virat Kohli, when he scored a century in the first innings of the Test against Bangladesh, became the first batsman to slam four double tons in successive series.

This attitude has been extremely crucial for the team because even when occasionally Kohli falls down, others know that they have to rise up to the occasion.

After India won the Test against Bangladesh, Kohli had said, "I look to push myself, throw myself around in the field so that other guys know that they also have to push for a wicket. The bowlers know what they need to do but the fielders within the ring need to support the bowlers. I need to do that first, for the guys to show that energy." Clearly, he is the leader who likes to show to his team how to get the job done.

Virat Kohli has borne the burden of captaincy for a mere two years and there is still a lot for him to achieve to be called truly successful. Yet, the ingredients seem to be in place and the stage is set when the No 1 Test team India take on second-placed Australia starting February 23.