The great Indian batsman Virat Kohli praised England captain Ben Stokes for his extraordinary innings at Lord’s, describing him as the most competitive player he has ever faced. Kohli reiterated his previous statement about Stokes’ competitiveness and praised his performance on the pitch.
At one point, it appeared that Stokes would repeat his Headingley feats in 2019. Australia defeated England by 43 runs to establish a 2-0 lead in the Ashes 2023 series, despite Stokes’s remarkable 155-run innings.
Following the encounter, the former Indian captain took to Twitter to praise Stokes for his outstanding batting performance, which included nine fours and as many sixes. While recognising Australia’s superiority, he stated:
“I was not exaggerating when I described Ben Stokes as the most competitive opponent I’ve faced. “Excellent innings, but Australia is currently too good,” Virat Kohli tweeted.
I wasn’t joking about calling Ben Stokes the most competitive bloke I’ve played against. Innings of the highest quality but Australia is too good at the moment 👍
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) July 2, 2023
On the fifth day, Stokes played an exceptional captain’s innings, propelling England towards the difficult target of 371 runs set by Australia at Lord’s. He attacked Australian bowlers with ferocity, smashing them to the ground for amusement. With the assistance of Stuart Broad at the other end, Stokes quickly reached his thirteenth Test century.
However, Josh Hazlewood ended his innings in the 73rd over, when the English captain’s attempt at a hook shot culminated in a top-edge that wicketkeeper Alex Carey caught safely. Before Hazlewood bowled him, Stokes had brought his team within 71 runs of the target.
After Jonny Bairstow’s unusual dismissal, Stokes established a crucial 108-run partnership with Stuart Broad for the seventh wicket, aggressively attacking the Australian bowlers. However, after Stokes’ departure, England added only 27 more runs before being dismissed, falling short at Lord’s by 43 runs.
The victory by Australia gave them a commanding 2-0 advantage in the five-match Ashes 2023 series. The next meeting between the two teams will take place on July 6 at Headingley in Leeds.
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