He was widely credited for changing the fitness culture in Indian cricket, introducing endurance tests as a criterion for selection. The last few years have seen Virat Kohli willingly or unwillingly getting compared to Steve Smith, Joe Root and Kane Williamson. The 31-year-old impressed one and all again and stood upto the occasion to smash 147 runs in his first Test innings as Team India's regular Test captain. Ben Stokes on the other hand comes down the order but that doesn't keep him away from the actions. Ben Stokes proved himself better than Kohli here as the Indian captain has failed to impress in the knockout stages of two World Cups and a Champions Trophy.Virat Kohli was appointed the captain of the Indian Test side after MS Dhoni hung his boots during the 2014-15 Australia tour but was it as easy for Kohli as this sentence reads. The gun batsman has 27 centuries and 22 fifties to his name on the other hand Ben Stokes have 4,056 runs from the 63 Tests he has played. Barring one in Bangladesh, Kohli scored Test hundreds in and against every country he played. Stokes has also smashed Test centuries in India and Australia.Just like Ben Stokes superman performance in 2019 World Cup, Virat Kohli had a very fulfilling T20 World Cup campaign in 2014 before taking the Test captaincy. This ambition transferred seamlessly to his captaincy: he demanded more than ever of his bowlers especially the quick ones, often sacrificed a batsman for bowling depth, and led India to a long stay at No. 1 in Test rankings and a first-ever series win in Australia. It's their sheer energy which is sufficient enough to lift the morales of their teams.Cricket indeed is a beautiful, comparisons can not only be between two top-order batsmen. For reprint rights: Ben Stokes and Virat Kohli (Courtesy- AP/Reuters Pictures)Nasser Hussain says England's 81st Test captain Ben Stokes is like Virat Kohli, what do stats say? The gun batsman has 27 centuries and 22 fifties to his name on the other hand Ben Stokes have 4,056 runs from the 63 Tests he has played. To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies. Centre of every marketing campaign for Indian cricket, he also happened to lead at a time when the BCCI was run by interim administrators who knew better than to draw the ire of Indian cricket's biggest star. Leaders in the team are leaders irrespective of their playing role.Virat Kohli comes in at number 3 in ODIs and 4 in Tests, he stabilises the innings and often anchors it till the very end. India has given to the world many a great cricketer but perhaps none as ambitious as Virat Kohli.
Anyways, we have compared Stokes to Kohli here but the trailblazing all-rounder is happy being Scottie Pippen to Joe Root's Michael Jordan for now.Copyright © 2020 Living Media India Limited. In Stats: Why England is Virat Kohli’s Biggest Test as Captain. The Christchurch-born is closest to Kohli when it comes to matching their way of conduct but is it the only similarity between the two? The gutsy all-rounder was stripped off his vice-captaincy and also had to miss 2017-18 Ashes. Stokes didn't avoid the storm and rather waited for his time to prove his worth again.
Stokes has hit 9 tons and 21 fifties. Stokes averaged 66.42 in comparison with Kohli's 55.37. To meet his ambition, Kohli employed the technical assiduousness of Sachin Tendulkar and fitness that was in the league of top athletes in the world, not just cricketers. Virat Kohli in his 86-match Test career has score 7,240 runs with an average of 53.62.