Batbricks7

One has been criticised for being a bully in India, the other has been criticised for not scoring heavily against India.

"The only thing I've ever made se..." Kane Williamson wouldn't even say the word, "sexy". He was responding to a statement made to him in the press conference about how he'd turned the otherwise bland phrase, "it is what it is" into a sexy phenomenon. Well, you did see a little smirk dance over his lips before Williamson's forever monk-like expression took charge again. Like with everything else, the 33-year-old downplayed the suggestion even if he did use it intentionally for another answer, pointing at the reporter who'd originally asked him about it.

The rest of it was just Kane. The regular Kane. The routine Kane. The nothing-much-to-say-but-will-be-polite Kane. The 'it is what it is" Kane.

It's kind of ironic that Williamson would be starting his 100th Test in Christchurch a day after R Ashwin would have kicked it off in Dharamsala. And that Ashwin held his press conference a day before the former New Zealand captain. Now, it wasn't the most trademark of Ashwin press conferences. Yes, he was punchy but there wasn't that inherent feistiness. He was forthright but there wasn't that combative streak to all his answers. He was reflective but without getting too tempted to challenge any of the questions posed to him, as he can tend to do at times. There have been times after all when Ashwin, If he doesn't rate your question, might even counter you with a question of his own. It wasn't to be here.

But it was all Ashwin though. Never a dull moment. Never a question that he didn't try to deal with head-on. Never a chance to even look away. The 'this is how I am' Ashwin.

This is not to say that there's anything "dull" about Williamson even if he once didn't quite appreciate being referred to as that by a journalist. But again, without really remonstrating about it with any venom. It's just that forget not laying his cards out on the table, at times you wonder if even carries the pack to the table.

For all their contrasting dispositions though, the fact is that with both Williamson and Ashwin, you know exactly what to expect. And they never disappoint. It's both in terms of who and how they are, and surely when it comes to what you can expect from both on the field.

There will also be two other high-profile cricketers across both Tests playing in their 100th matches. Jonny Bairstow has already done so and been done in by Kuldeep Yadav's wiles yet again. And the man walking out to toss on Friday (March 8) morning, Tim Southee, will be doing so as well, becoming the first fast bowler from New Zealand to do so.

But you wouldn't find two more distinctive characters in the modern game than Ashwin and Williamson, and for them to be ticking off such a significant milestone simultaneously does have a tinge of irony to it.

The cricketer who everyone around the world is convinced that they have to love and a cricketer who most people feel the need to find an excuse for not liking. If with Williamson there is never a question of not falling for his genuine niceness in all situations, with Ashwin there's always a question of if only he wasn't so borderline abrasive in certain situations. It's again not at all a slight on him.

There aren't more cricketers in the world more comfortable in their own skin than Ashwin, almost to a fault too. If anything, he's got this far and has got the world-beating numbers to show for it, largely due to being able to stay ultimately true to himself.

But you do wonder how much of the constant criticism that has followed Ashwin throughout his career has actually had to do with his performances and how much to do with the perception that his detractors have of him as a person. Not that he needs to change who he is and not like he can either.

Compare that to the universal adoration for Williamson throughout the good and the difficult times that the Black Caps' No 3 has had throughout his illustrious career. Williamson has had to cope with his share of negative reactions too over the years, but it's always seemingly been masked by that unique reminder that he's still Kane.

You can spot an extension of how and who they are in terms of their cricket as well. Not to forget how contrasting. Williamson's game is built on simplicity. While Ashwin thrives on complexity. There's a sameness and a preciseness to everything Williamson the batter does in the middle. There's suspense and mystery to everything Ashwin the bowler does in the middle.

Yet, you'll stay glued to the cricket when either of them is in action. If Williamson's technique exudes deftness and subtlety, Ashwin's bowling is the perfect concoction of scientific genius.

Their journeys to get to this point have been different too but there is a connection that neither might have preferred not to have to deal with. It has to do with the pedantry regarding both their stats. On the face of it, Williamson and Ashwin are modern-day greats and will end up in the Hall of Fame surely. But not a day goes by, when specific elements of their numbers are laid bare with people questioning not just their credentials but also their statuses. If for Ashwin, it's his record outside the subcontinent and the West Indies that gets unfairly talked up as being a discrepancy, Williamson's averages against India, England and Australia are a constant source of consternation for many. We've already heard about it in this series, especially after his double failure in Wellington. It's only a matter of time meanwhile before Ashwin's numbers in Australia will be doing the rounds with the glut of nit-pickers ready to pounce.

Having come this far into their careers, it's unlikely neither will even try to change their stripes at any stage. And what we've seen from Williamson and Ashwin is that they'll play out the rest of their careers being who they are, which will only further enhance their legacy. You'd think the two will also bow out in distinct fashions and their respective teams will take a lot to recover from their losses.

There's one part of Williamson's press conference that probably sums up the biggest difference between the two.

"I remember walking out and looking around the field and seeing all my heroes. I used to love playing backyard cricket as a youngster, and all those guys were in that team that I would try and select. It was Tendulkar and Laxman and Dravid, and it was kind of like, 'How am I here? I'd better start watching the ball and try and compete'," is how Williamson described his first day out as a Test batter, in Ahmedabad back in late 2010. You just get a feeling that Ashwin would not be putting anyone on a pedestal. Not publicly anyway. And especially not while he's still an active cricketer. It was endearing to hear him talk about his biggest challenges at the domestic level during his press conference though. But that too will in some circles lead to some sort of rebuttal or reaction. But as Williamson would say, "it is what it is" after all.