Which Game of Thrones character is your favourite India-South Africa player?

The thing about Game of Thrones or an IND-SA series is, if you know what it is, you are hooked forever. ‘Mushkil hain, mazaa aayega’ is the slogan that the broadcasters are using for the Freedom Series between India and South Africa.The two teams have been neck and neck whenever they have played in India. In many ways, India is the Final Frontier for the South Africans, who have won a series everywhere else in the world in their decade of domination.Game of Thrones fans look for their fictional heroes in every real life situation. So there is no reason to not continue that exercise even in the present series.There are deadly assassins here, scary warriors and Sand Snakes, yes. We take a look at some of the players who will all be involved in the series in one format or the other, and who they could be if they were cast in the Game of Thrones series (not looks, please, just the attributes).Disclaimer: I know, some of you will be disappointed, even offended by the choices, because not everyone thinks alike. But this is not a life and death issue, even for a GoT fanatic! ;)

#1 Jaqen H\'ghar - AB de Villiers

Common attributes:

Both give the impression of quiet men who could pretty much pull off anything – the coolest assassins, in their respective fields.

You pick a bowler and the next thing you know, De Villiers is taking him apart. Any ground, anywhere in the world – none of it matters. He didn’t even spare his teammate Dale Steyn, scooping him for a six over fine leg during the IPL – a shot no one will ever forget.

Like H’ghar, AB is very likable, he is wise, he rarely has too many words to say to the opponents and he lets his tools do all the talking.

He fields like a Braavosi martial arts exponent, leaping, stretching and making impossible sprints, although his 360-degree batting is beyond anyone’s comprehension.

The best thing for bowlers to do is to avoid him, plain and simple. Assuming that is even possible, especially when he has set his sights on you!

#2 Daenerys Targaryen - Virat Kohli

Common attributes:

They have almost cherubic looks, until they reveal their fiery ambition underneath; both of them were born to rule. They both have a sharp temper when irked, and they both know how to breathe fire.

At the same time, they have decent heads on their shoulders and the ability to gauge a situation and get better as the going gets tough.

Both are heirs with a claim, from dynasties that once ruled but now dethroned, and have an unquenchable thirst to reclaim what's rightfully theirs. Both have gone through embarrassments, defeats and humiliations, and are extremely young achievers with a lot to show for very early in their campaigns.

#3 Jon Snow - Cheteshwar Pujara

Common attributes:

Jon Snow was never given his due because of his lineage, if you know what I mean. And in many ways, cricketers who are purists and play Test cricket do not get the following that T20 or ODI players have.

Jon Snow guards, or used to guard, The Wall as Lord Commander of Night’s Watch (though we hope he’ll be back). Pujara is the successor to The Wall, and has shown in his brief career what he is capable of.

Both are kings of the comeback. Jon has made more than one unlikely comeback already in his short life so far. Even Che’s debut was a comeback of sorts, considering how he outperformed many of his contemporary cricketers and still got a cap well after them.

Both are peace-loving by nature and do what is best for the team instead of going for personal glory and ambition. That means making hard choices, which is why they are not as popular as they should have been, although the trend is now changing slowly.

Both are really capable with their weapons but they only show off that expertise when absolutely needed. Pujara, for example, is quicker than a lot of his other flashier teammates in Test cricket, if you look at strike-rates, but will rarely talk about that fact.

#4 Tyrion Lannister - MS Dhoni

I had to think long and hard about this. In many ways, MS Dhoni is like Maximus in Gladiator – the guy who can talk, the guy who can fight.

The closest to his persona would be that bit of Jaime Lannister which made him one of the very best warriors ever, before he lost his fighting hand, and that bit of Jaime Lannister after he lost his fighting hand, which made him wise, witty, sarcastic and benevolent (Exhibit A: when he was ready to jump in front of the bear to save Brienne of Tarth).

But if we have to pick a character overall to represent him, our best bet would be Tyrion Lannister.

Common attributes:

After this year’s Emmy Awards, if there is one glaring similarity it is the trophy cabinet of Dhoni and the trophies Tyrion has inspired.

Both are extremely wacky and capable of giving hilarious answers, like Dhoni’s comments on the field in Hindi to his fielders like Sreesanth, or about the batsmen. He once used Formula 1 cars being serviced as an analogy for his team in a press meet.

Both are supremely wise and know how to keep their head on their shoulders during tough hours, while also being able to call a spade a spade. Both are equally capable of dividing opinion – some absolutely love them, some hate them, but no one can ignore them.

If anything, that Dhoni was one of India’s first small-town boy cricket celebs shows the odds both had to fight. (Tyrion is still fighting his war and demons though, if I might add).

#5 Grey Worm - Ajinkya Rahane

Common attributes:

Kings and queens can’t win thrones without someone like Grey Worm in their camp. And every world champion team also needs someone like Ajinkya Rahane to win.

Grey Worm’s sense of loyalty is almost outrageous, just like Rahane’s commitment to the team. The latter is capable of doing anything that is asked of him – from batting down the order to opening the innings or going in at No. 3, even if he is not comfortable with it.

Rahane is also the quietest of all the next-gen stars, just like Grey Worm, who doesn’t counsel Khaleesi unless she asks for it.

Both are heroic when required. Grey Worm puts himself in front of Khaleesi every time her life is in danger. And Rahane throws away a century in an almost inconsequential draw against Bangladesh (to facilitate a declaration), and charges Mitchell Johnson in Australia, smacking him off the front foot in front of square, so he doesn’t harass Kohli with bouncers.

#6 Jorah Mormont - Amit Mishra

Common attributes:

In pop culture lingo, there is a word for both Jorah Mormont and Amit Mishra – friendzoned. Even Piyush Chawla has had much better luck than Amit Mishra. That in itself should make him the Mormont in a team led by Kohli.

Like Mormont, Mishra contributes to the team in more ways than one, and is fiercely passionate about his game. He is rarely the front-runner for the limelight and yet, as the Ind-SL series recently showed, he picks crucial wickets and sometimes gets crucial runs in the limited opportunities he gets.

Like Mormont, he has erred and has been left out of the team (read exiled) in favour of other inconsistent bowlers. He makes comebacks too, though, and this time he might stick around, although time isn’t exactly on his side.

#7 Night\'s King - Dale Steyn

Common attributes:

For starters, Dale Steyn vs Pujara/Kohli is going to be one of the huge future battles. And at the moment, no one invokes more fear than Night’s King. Just like the Night’s King looked Jon Snow in the eye and then raised the dead back to life, Steyn is capable of bringing even the dullest, most placid pitches to life.

Steyn has already bowled some of the best spells by any fast bowler on Indian soil. He is probably India’s single biggest threat in the upcoming series, and his icy cold stare following a booming outswinger or a 148kph bouncer could put the fear of God in men.

Brownie points for just looking cool too, while we are at it.

#8 Daario Naharis - Shikhar Dhawan

Common attributes:

To start with both are extremely bold, bordering on audacious. The most trusted lieutenants of the leaders they follow, they have an impetuousness that comes from having that 'been there, done that' outlook about them.

When in trouble, both of them have the same mantra – attack – because it is the best form of defence. They are the first in any line of offense, and Dhawan as opener scores them big and scores them fast – aggressively and flamboyantly.

Both have a thing for funky hairstyles too (at least Daario of the book has), which really makes them stand out.

#9 Sand Snakes - Hashim Amla, Rileee Rossouw, David Miller

Common attributes:

One is too short-tempered and impulsive (Obara), one is a quiet but deadly assasin (Nymeria) who uses the bull whip, and the third (Tyene) goes about attacking impulsively while screaming at the target. Almost exactly like David Miller, Hashim Amla and Riley Rossouw, respectively.

Amla has a calm head and will bleed the opponent without them even knowing it, with slashes and cuts. Miller and Rossouw are deadly but are so impulsive and attacking that it often creates their downfall, which necessitates Amla’s guidance if possible.

Between them, the three batsman form a deadly group, one at the top of the order, one in the middle and one towards the finish. In most cases, none of the three is paid as much attention as AB de Villiers is, but in most cases, it is one of these batsmen that does the damage or at least, lays the foundation.

Above all, it is just a joy to watch them.

#10 Oberyn Martell - Rohit Sharma

Common attributes:

Extremely pleasing to the eye when they go about their job, both have a natural swagger and cockiness about them, that doesn’t seem to come with deep wisdom. It's almost as if they are in it just for the pleasure. They can hurt the opponent with their nimbleness and precision, without the enemy even noticing them.

Like Oberyn who coats his daggers with poisons, Rohit is capable of playing every kind of shot in the book, and sometimes outside the book – like a sweep off a fast bowler for a six.

Their arrogance is usually their downfall, like the Red Viper realised against The Mountain. Both frustrate the audience too, getting you to like them and then throwing it all away through a brain-fade.

#11 Gregor Clegane, The Mountain - Morne Morkel

Common attributes:

Big and scary. Half the battle is won before it starts.

Morkel can bowl the heavy ball that could deliver the heavy blow. Both are capable of delivering a dose of nastiness to the best of warriors on any kind of surface.

#12 Arya Stark - Ishant Sharma

Common attributes:

There is potential here, plenty of it, if only they grew up.

Both are capable of extreme dumbness at times, so baffling that you wonder what happened, like Arya not asking Jaqen to assasinate Tywin himself. (But Arya could be forgiven for just being a child. Oh, Ishant is not too old either).

Both are fiery and are never scared to go face-to-face with the opponent. Both need some mentoring and tutoring to unleash their real talents.

Both have evolved unimaginably over the years due to circumstances and conditions, and will do so further.

#13 Varys - Murali Vijay

Common attributes:

Vijay is called the Monk for a reason, and Varys is the closest you’ll get to a monk amidst all the exoticness of GoT.

Both are adept at handling the toughest questions the easiest way – by dodging them. Both are fiercely passionate and patriotic, but don’t make a great show of it – they just do what the team needs them to do.

Both have a good range, and they’ll surprise you as the game progresses as to how much they are capable of pulling off without putting on the swagger. And both are survivors too, in a varied range of conditions.

#14 Petyr Baelish - Ravichandran Ashwin

Common attributes:

For starters, the guys can talk. And beautifully too – whether about the game of thrones, or of cricket.

Both spin webs intricately, almost making an art form out of it. Take, for example, Ashwin’s performance in the recent Ind-SL series and Baelish’s strategies that actually started the mad rush for the Iron Throne.

Both took a while to establish themselves as major players. The two of them are equally ambitious and are brilliant at deception.

Both of them made it big too, replacing legends.