Rohit Sharma carries the calm and composure of the Buddhist monks in these parts though his hilarious one-liners often leave his teammates in splits.

Kuch seconds baaki hain, sab log dimaag lagao (Only a few seconds left, put your heads together)," the captain told his players when they were hesitant in going for a DRS call for leg-before against Ben Stokes in Ranchi. Or when he yelled at the rookie Sarfaraz Khan, who was fielding at short leg, to put on his helmet: "Hero nahi banne ka (Don't try to be a hero)." But make no mistake. Beneath the humour and mischievous smile lies a thinking mind which has largely contributed to his achievements as a captain. Days after the T20I series against Afghanistan, the think-tank got together in Hyderabad to analyse the Englishmen's strengths and weaknesses. It involved hours of discussions and strategising and planning to perfection. Contingencies were taken into consideration: If Plan A doesn't work, formulate a Plan B or work on evolving a Plan C. If none is operational, trust the instincts and go with on-field intuitions - this was the message that was delivered at team meetings. Even the non-availability of players or injuries doesn't upset Rohit. Mohammed Shami was never in contention but the sudden pull-out of Virat Kohli also couldn't demotivate or shake him off his resolve. He stayed prepared for the worst while being uncompromising in his objective. "Rohit is never shaken by adversities. He trusts his teammates and can motivate them to the hilt. He has found a trusted ally in Dravid who can spend hours talking to a cricketer, explaining the nuances of the game. At times his sessions go well past midnight," someone who has been part of the core team said.