“There is always respect,” Ben Stokes talks about his rivalry with Virat Kohli

Ben Stokes, the captain of England’s Test team, talked about his rivalry with Virat Kohli. He claimed that despite their conflicts on the pitch, they always respected each other. These two are considered among the best and fittest cricketers in the modern era. They have participated in numerous courageous on-field clashes and have provided spectators with hours of pleasure. 

Recently, Stokes called time on his ODI career, receiving many best wishes, including one from Kohli. The former Indian captain wrote: “You’re the most competitive bloke I’ve ever played against. Respect’… as they say, ‘broke the internet.”

Speaking to Hindustan Times ahead of the release of his documentary ‘Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes’, Ben Stokes talked about his rivalry with Virat Kohli.

“To be honest, Virat and I don’t really come across each other that much. We’ve played Test cricket against each other and in the IPL. In the time that we have spent together, albeit very small, it’s fine. When you’re out on the field, it’s me against the opposition or it’s me against an individual. You’ve got to separate the two – the on-field competition and off it. It’s not a case of when we are little children and when we do have a bit of a go at each other on the field, as soon as we are off it, it’s just back to two individuals who are in the same room together, and it’s fine,”

BEN STOKES SAID.

Also Read: England’s Bazball Approach in Test cricket and its consequences

Stokes talks about rivalry citing Djokovic and Kyrgios’s example

Tennis players Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic were taken as references by Stokes. As Djokovic once said, respect exists between them despite occasional physical confrontations during games.

“Look, sport produces amazing contests not only between teams but you also have those battles and contests between individuals. But at the end of the day, there is always respect between oppositions, between individuals, and it’s just in our sports. Just an example – you look at Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios.”

“They have obviously had a huge rivalry but still at the end of the day, there is always that respect there between the two professional athletes. That’s the same for us and through sports. You are always going to have a battle and trying your hardest to win a game. But when it comes to the end of it, there is always that respect and that’s what a great sport. One sportsman respects the other,”

HE ADDED.

Stokes is currently playing the Test series against South Africa whereas Kohli will be seen in action during the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 on August 28th.