It's often said about good captaincy that it's hard to define but you know it when you see it.
Good captaincy comes in many different forms, and while bowling changes and field placings are subjective, successful captains can silence a critic by simply saying: "Look at my record."
There's one particular captaincy attribute that tends to be ever-present in a successful reign: a team wanting to perform for their leader. The perfect examples in recent times are Jason Holder's involvement in West Indies' demolition of England and Virat Kohli becoming the first Indian captain to win a Test series in Australia. The West Indies players interviewed after their breathtaking win over England in Barbados spoke in glowing terms of Holder as a leader. It was pretty obvious they were prepared to go above and beyond for him.
Watching India gradually assert superiority over Australia it became clear that the team had bought into Kohli's passionate pursuit of victory. Each moment of success was celebrated with vigour, until finally they were able to frolic round the SCG as a team, triumphantly holding aloft the Border-Gavaskar trophy.
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Kohli is as emotional on the field as any captain I've seen. This can be detrimental because often a team's performance tends to fluctuate with the captain's emotions. However, in Kohli's case the team has adjusted to the emotional rollercoaster ride and they certainly didn't lack fighting spirit when the going became tough in Australia.
This was a classic case of the captain having a clear vision for success and the team buying into the concept. Even personnel changes made no difference to the team's unity of purpose.
Holder has had it much tougher as a captain. He acquired the job well before he was ready and inherited a team that was sub-standard against the established Test sides. In witnessing the early stages of his captaincy reign I saw nothing that marked him as a natural, or indeed even as a leader of great potential.
The losses continued to pile up and it seemed like he was only keeping the seat warm until a better option was revealed. Notwithstanding, he has grown into the job and the massive victory over England was a perfect example of what can be achieved when the team respects the captain and wants him to succeed. His is a classic example of why captains should never be judged solely on wins and losses.
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The captain of an under-staffed team can make the right moves but in the end his side just lacks the ability to finish off a superior opponent. The objective of a captain leading an ordinary side is to make that team better. This type of captain often keeps his battling team in the contest longer than their limited ability suggests is possible. Arjuna Ranatunga regularly achieved this feat with an underdog Sri Lankan Test side.
The captain of a successful side can chalk up plenty of victories but often it's purely down to the dominance of his team or the inferior capabilities of the opposition. Captains who are heavily reliant on their team's outstanding skill are often shown up when the contest against a strong opponent becomes tight.
The challenge for Holder is to keep his charges on an upward trend and he achieved this by again dismantling England in the second Test, in Antigua. Too often in West Indies' recent past they have threatened a renaissance only to disappoint. The fact that they seem to once again be gathering a pace attack of substance helps his cause.
Kohli also benefits from a strong and varied attack, and India should continue to prosper, as there seems to be a highly functional production line of both young batsmen and fast bowlers.
Both captains are currently enjoying the plaudits of the fans as they bask in their team's success. However, what will ensure continued success is maintaining the respect of their team-mates and making sure they want to perform for their captain.