Ben Stokes opens up on his rivalry with Virat Kohli

image-l75q77q1Ben Stokes and Virat Kohli (Twitter)

Two of the most energetic and aggressive cricketers of the current generation, Virat Kohli and Ben Stokes, are infamous for their rivalry on the cricket field. It is always a treat for the fans to witness the two legends play against each other.

Since both Kohli and Stokes and truly passionate and dedicated to their jobs, there have been instances when they have had tiffs on the match field. Despite being huge rivals, the former Indian skipper and England’s Test captain have mutual respect for each other.

Stokes compare him and Kohli with Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios

When Stokes announced retirement from One Day Internationals last month, Kohli was one of the first players to congratulate him for a glorious career. The Indian legend had also hailed the English star as the best competitor.

Now, Stokes has returned the compliment back to Kohli as he had some good things to say about the batting maestro. Speaking about his rivalry with Kohli, the England Test captain revealed that both of them are professionals and it is always an amazing contest between them.

The all-rounder clarified that there will always be a battle between the two on the field, but they have no hard feelings outside the stadium. Stokes stated an example of Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios to describe how the two sports personalities can respect each other despite being each other’s competitors.

The English captain candidly speaks about his off-field camaraderie with Kohli

In a conversation with NDTV, Stokes reckoned,

"To be honest, we do not come across each other outside of cricket. When you are out on the field, it is me against the opposition or me against any individual. You got to separate the two, the on-field competition, and also the off-field.

“It is not a case of where we are little children and if we do have a bit of a go at each other on the field, as soon as we are back off the field, it is back to two individuals who are in the same room together and it is fine."

Despite being rivals, Virat Kohli and Ben Stokes have had each other’s back. The former Indian skipper had previously also hailed Stokes’ decision of taking a break from international cricket due to his mental health. The fans will have to wait for the T20 World Cup, scheduled in Australia in October, to watch the two veterans have a go at each other.

Also Read: Ben Stokes did not want to play for England following 2017 arrest