Ashes 2023: Virat Kohli praises Ben Stokes’ knock at Lord's Test
England skipper Ben Stokes pulled off a tremendous knock of 155 runs.
The England cricket team find themselves in a precarious situation having lost the second Ashes Test by 43 runs at Lord’s. Chasing a target of 371, the hosts were bowled out for 327 on day five of the Test match. England skipper Ben Stokes pulled off a tremendous knock of 155 runs and he was the last man standing for his side. Stokes’s brilliance might have gone in vain but the star all-rounder’s phenomenal knock was praised by many. Virat Kohli was one of many who lavished huge praise on Stokes. Applauding Stokes’ terrific knock, the former India captain 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.”
Ravichandran Ashwin tweets
The number one Test bowler in the world, Ravichandran Ashwin, also lauded Ben Stokes on Twitter. “May eventually turn out to be an innings in a losing cause, but Ben Stokes and his stomach for a fight is unreal,” the Indian spinner tweeted.
Ben Stokes’ brilliance
In the second innings, Ben Stokes came out to bat at the fall of the fourth wicket after England’s top order failed miserably. Ben Duckett offered a good support to Stokes. But Duckett once again failed to breach the three-digit mark having been dismissed for 83. Stokes’ superb counter-attacking style of batting did change the momentum. A panic was seen in the Australian camp after Stokes’ change of gear. It seemed that the English skipper would succeed in guiding his side to a remarkable win at Lord’s. But Josh Hazlewood, eventually, sent Stokes back to the dressing room in the 73rd over of the second innings. Stokes’ knock comprised nine sixes and as many boundaries. Stokes’ century also turned out to be an England captain’s first Ashes ton at the Lord’s since Andrew Strauss' 161 in 2009.
Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc picked up three wickets each to earn a sensational victory for the visitors. England’s James Anderson and Josh Tongue added 25 runs for the final wicket but it could hardly do enough to deter Australia from claiming a lead of 2-0 in the five-match Ashes. The third Test is scheduled to start from July 6 at Headingley in Leeds.