'You're the most competitive bloke I've ever played against' - Virat Kohli on Ben Stokes as latter draws curtains on ODI career

Ben Stokes sent the cricketing world into a frenzy after announcing his retirement from ODI cricket on 18th July, Monday, via his social media accounts. The all-rounder was part of the English team in the recently concluded ODI series against India and will play his last 50-over game in Durham against South Africa. Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli responded with a comment on his Instagram post.

The southpaw has been one of the most influential cricketers in the last few years for England, with his heroics in the 2019 World Cup final being one of the highlights of his playing career, which helped England in their maiden triumph in the format. Stokes was adjudged the Player of the Match for his heroic unbeaten 84-run knock on the day of days for English cricket.

The star all-rounder has been a part of the ODI setup for over a decade now and has featured in 104 ODIs, scoring 2919 runs at an average just shy of 40 along with 74 scalps to his name. India’s star batter Kohli commented on his retirement post and wrote, “You’re the most competitive bloke I’ve ever played against. Respect.”

 

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Three formats are just unsustainable for me now: Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes was recently appointed the red-ball skipper after Joe Root relinquished the post ahead of the New Zealand Test series at home. His stint was off to a supreme start as they beat the Kiwis 3-0 in that series, playing some scintillating cricket under the new regime of Brendon McCullum.

The aggressive middle-order batter’s decision to quit the 50-over format may come as a shock to many, but in the longer term, it will help England cricket as they look to remould their Test squad under his leadership. He will be a key figure for England in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia later this year, and one could argue that he might retire from white-ball cricket altogether after the mega ICC event to focus on his responsibilities in Test cricket.

“Three formats are just unsustainable for me now. Not only do I feel that my body is letting me down because of the schedule and what is expected of us, but I also feel that I am taking the place of another player who can give Jos and the rest of the team their all. It’s time for someone else to progress as a cricketer and make incredible memories as I have over the past 11 years,” he said in his retirement post.