The standard sequence of bols that voices a tala — Teentaal's "Dha Dhin Dhin Dha..." is the theka, not the tala itself. The tala is the abstract structure of matras and claps; the theka is its agreed sonic form, with open strokes through the full sections and closed ones through khali.
Playing theka is a skill in its own right. Accompanists vary its density and ornament (its prakars) to suit khayal, thumri, or instrumental work without blurring the cycle. Talas of equal length — Rupak and Pashto, Keherwa and Dhumali — are told apart only by their thekas.