Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has talked very highly of England all-rounder Ben Stokes, who is going through a purple patch which refuses to end. After Ben Stokes helped England win the second Test match against West Indies, a questioned popped up in the heads of Indian fans and experts as they wondered if the Virat Kohli-led team has a player who can match Stokes’ brilliance.
Gautam Gambhir has an answer to the question and it’s a clear-cut ‘No’. Gautam Gambhir said there is no Indian cricketer who is currently in the league of Ben Stokes. Gambhir went on to add that not only India but there is nobody even in world cricket to match the standards of Ben Stokes for now.
“You can’t compare anyone in India at the moment with Ben Stokes. Absolutely not, because Ben Stokes is in his own league. What he has done in Test cricket, what he has done in one-day cricket, what he has done in T20 cricket, I don’t think so there’s anyone, let alone in India, there isn’t anyone who’s even close to him in world cricket at the moment,” Ben Stokes told on Star Sports show ‘Cricket Connected’.
Ben Stokes in an all-round performance scored 254 runs and took 3 wickets in the 2nd Test match against West Indies which England won by 113-runs. A video from the match showing Ben Stokes chasing the ball from reaching the boundary off his own bowling also went viral on social media. After the match Ben Stokes toppled Jason Holder to become the number one ranked ICC Test all-rounder.
Further, the southpaw said that it would be every captain’s dream to have a player like Ben Stokes in his team. In a bold statement Gambhir asserted that many players from around the world want to be like Ben Stokes but “unfortunately” they aren’t anywhere close to him.
“And that is the kind of impact player you need in every line-up. It would be a dream for every captain to have someone like Ben Stokes whether he’s batting, whether he’s bowling, whether he’s fielding and he’s a leader in his own capacity. You don’t have to be a leader to be a leader, you don’t need to be called a captain to be a captain. You can be a leader by your own performances as well. So, I think there are a lot of guys would be actually looking to be like Ben Stokes, but unfortunately, there’s no one at the moment in world cricket,” Gautam Gambhir added.
