'Massive shout but Virat Kohli is one of those guys': Stokes compares England's rising star with former India captain
Ben Stokes gave Virat Kohli a special mention while showering praise on the England star after the visitors outclassed Babar Azam-led Pakistan in the 2nd Test at Multan.
England's aggressive approach of playing the longest and oldest format has continued to pay the Three Lions rich dividends in the second edition of the ICC World Test Championship. Babar Azam-led Pakistan were expected to live up to its favourites tag when England toured the Asian nation for the first time in 17 years. Led by superstar Ben Stokes, the Brendon McCullum-coached side outclassed favourites Pakistan, who started the second Test of the three-match series as they did the first.
A fighting century from Harry Brook and Mark Wood's fiery spell in the 2nd innings was enough to dismantle Pakistan at the Multan Cricket Ground. Brook and Wood fashioned England's hard-fought 26-run win over Pakistan which also paved the way for Stokes' men to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Talking about England's epic win in Multan, Stokes singled out one such individual who he believes has the potential to deliver the goods like batting icon Virat Kohli.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the England skipper lauded his teammate Brook, who was declared the Player of the Match in the 2nd Test. “Harry had the summer he had last year and had all the big ups before he made his debut at the end of the summer. To come here and put in that performance again is just phenomenal. He is one of those rare players where you look across all formats and you can just see him being successful anywhere. Massive shout but Virat Kohli is one of those guys where his technique is just so simple it works everywhere,” Stokes said.
The 23-year-old has played only 3 Tests for the Three Lions. Brook made his Test debut against South Africa at Kennington Oval earlier this year. Brook's 108 off 149 balls laid the foundation for England's match-winning total in the 2nd innings. Wood-inspired England dismantled Pakistan for 328 before Lunch on Day 4 as the hosts lost the series decider by 26 runs. England will meet Pakistan in the third and final Test at the Karachi National Stadium on Saturday.
