Australia vs India 2018-19: 5 interesting storylines that could determine the outcome of the Test series

#3 The battle of the leaders

Tim Paine would need to perform at a very high level to keep pace with the all-conquering Kohli

It might be unfair to pit Tim Paine against Virat Kohli, but then cricket can be an unfair game sometimes.

Paine would be leading a beleaguered unit that is sorely missing David Warner and Steve Smith in its lineup. As the captain, he is supposed to be the guy that would get Australia through these turbulent times.

Until now, in the limited opportunities that he has got, Paine has done an admirable job. He was instrumental in Australia scraping through to draw the first Test match against Pakistan. But this is a completely different challenge, and Virat Kohli is not Sarfraz Ahmed.

A lot will depend on how the Australian captain is able to step out of the shadow of the might of Virat Kohli.