Steve Smith, Virat Kohli and the Joy of Young Test Captains

In a refreshing move, the Australian think-tank chose young Steve Smith, not veteran Brad Haddin, to stand-in for the injured Michael Clarke for the last three Tests against India. Investing in a talented yet unproven cricketer has its share of risks but aggression and positive intent have been essential traits of Australian cricket for time immemorial. In the opposition camp, a 26-year-old Virat Kohli gave a glimpse of what a young skipper could do, irrespective of the team's poor reputation foreign soil. (Kallis Draws Parallels Between Two Smiths)

Kohli's ability to turn the tables on notion of a defensive, cautious India away from home, enthralled fans and even a defeat in Adelaide felt like a moral victory. The spirited fight till the end gave a foresight into what the near future holds for the ambitious Indian side. When Smith fills in for Clarke, the context will be slightly different.

That India do not have a good track record on green-tops will ease the pressure on the youngster, but the decisions he takes on the field will help the Australian management assess if they passed on the captaincy baton in the right direction. Kohli's ability to look at the storm in the eye, make proactive changes, take outlandish chances were all elements of a young captain at work. When Smith walks out on Wednesday, similar characteristics could be in play. (Ponting Backs Smith as Test Captain)

The baby-faced 25-year old, who will be the third youngest captain to lead Australia, after Ian Craig (22 years and 194 days) and Kim Hughes (25 years and 75 days), began life in the international circuit in 2010 as a frontline leg-spinner, with shades of Shane Warne evident in his action. However, the watershed moment of his Test career came, coincidentally, against India in Mohali in 2013. In a Test that largely belonged to the debutant Shikhar Dhawan and his enthralling knock of 187, Smith displayed great skill against spin bowling. His ability to use his feet and dance down the track with ease helped him counter the Indian spinners, on his way to a 92.

However, Smith has not had a rosy ride in his short Test career so far. At 21 in 2010, he was first picked to represent Australia in white flannels and he himself confesses that he was too aggressive and wasn't ready for the longest format of the game. Just four years and a few memorable performances later, Smith was seated in front of a huge section of media, talking about how he plans to lead the side from the front. (Dhoni Promises Aggressive Intent From India)

Besides the common surname, Steve Smith also shares the trait of leading the Test side at a very young age with Graeme Smith, who was made South Africa skipper at 22. Steve will kick-start his life as a leader with the hope to emulate the South African skipper who went on to lead his side in more than 100 Tests. South African veteran Jacques Kallis reckons Steve faces a similar ordeal like Graeme, that of leading players older and far more experienced than him but also felt that he will taste a lot of success in his long career ahead. (Smith Looks at 2-0 Lead at Gabba)

"Steve looks like a guy that is well respected. Graeme relied a lot on the senior players early on when he was making decisions and that and rightly so and then obviously learned as he went along. He turned out to be very successful and I don't think Steve will be too far behind that," said Kallis.

Like Kohli, Smith also wants to lead from the front.

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He may only be a 'stand-in' skipper at the moment, but Smith also has the vote of confidence from Ricky Ponting, one of Australia's most celebrated leaders. "Australia can be confident about seeing the national cricket team in Smith's hands. It is a great shame that Clarke's body has not held up well this summer, and ideally it would have been nice to see Steve have another 12 months or so before taking on the job. But as the next long-term captain in the selectors' eyes, these next three Tests against India will do him a world of good," Ponting said of Smith. (Dhoni Doesn't Fear Pacy Gabba)

Kohli too has seen a topsy-turvy graph to his short Test career. His last visit to Australia in 2011 was an eventful one where the youngster smashed his maiden Test ton in Adelaide and was embroiled in controversy for an obscene gesture towards the jeering crowd. He was branded as a brash and abrasive cricketer who had a long way to go before filling in the big shoes of his No.4 predecessor Sachin Tendulkar. Four years on, he arrived in Australia with his head held high and a mind full of confidence despite a forgettable England tour and led India in the first Test in the absence of the injured Mahendra Singh Dhoni. (Two Captains in the Spotlight at Gabba)

His twin centuries at Adelaide and the manner in which he conducted himself over the course of the tragic death of Phillip Hughes pointed towards his maturity. Ruthless on the field, graceful in defeat, Kohli has indeed come a long, long way.

With just 23 and 30 Tests to their names, Smith and Kohli are two highly-promising cricketers in the nascent stage of their respective careers. While captaincy could help Smith accelerate to a whole new level, Kohli too will be gearing up to take over from Dhoni in the near future.