It is Jos Buttler's responsibility to bring Ben Stokes out of ODI retirement: Ravichandran Ashwin

Ben Stokes is one of the most sought-after cricketers going around. His all-round abilities make him an invaluable asset for any team. According to the latest reports from British media, Stokes might come out of ODI retirement to help England defend their title in the upcoming ODI World Cup which is scheduled to be held in India in October-November.

The star all-rounder shocked the world when he announced in 2022 that he was retiring from ODI cricket to focus on captaining England's Test team. According to Ravichandran Ashwin, England's white-ball captain Jos Buttler will have to take responsibility in order to convince Stokes to take a U-turn regarding his ODI retirement call. Ashwin and Buttler are teammates at Rajasthan Royals, a franchise where Stokes also played for a few years.

"As Vadivelu says to a guy in the movie Friends, 'Dude, watch that guy for some time'. It seems Jos Buttler's duty is to watch Ben Stokes, according to Matthew Mott. So, Jos Buttler is keeping an eye on Ben Stokes. It's Jos Buttler's responsibility now to bring Ben Stokes out of retirement and make him available for the 50-over World Cup," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Ben Stokes' impressive ODI numbers

Stokes won the Player of the Match award in the 2019 ODI World Cup final for his excellent knock of 84* off 98 balls. In 105 ODIs, the stalwart amassed 2924 runs at an average of 38.99 and a strike rate of 95.09. He has scored three centuries and 21 half-centuries in his 50-over international career.

With the ball, Stokes has fared decently as he has picked up 74 wickets with career-best figures of 5/61. He has struggled with injuries in recent years and if he does make an ODI comeback for the 2023 World Cup, he could be playing only as a batter. England won't mind, however, as Stokes' batting ability alone can fit him into any top side.