"Virat Kohli will be happy" - Aakash Chopra on Ben Stokes' return to England's ODI side ahead of World Cup 2023
Aakash Chopra believes Virat Kohli would be elated about Ben Stokes' return to England's ODI setup.
Stokes had earlier announced his retirement from ODI cricket to prolong his career in the other two formats. However, he has been picked in England's ODI squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand and will likely be seen playing in the World Cup in India later this year.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that Kohli would be delighted about the development. He reasoned:
"If Ben Stokes is coming back, the first thing is that Virat Kohli will be happy because he is one of his especially liked players. He said as well that no one plays better than him under pressure."
The former Indian opener highlighted the England Test skipper's ability to raise his game under pressure. He observed:
"Actually, Luke Wright, who is a selector, has also said the same thing that no one performs better than him under pressure. While other people fall apart, he shines, he is that kind of a player - a big-match player."
Stokes played a stellar role in England's 2019 World Cup final triumph, with his unbeaten 84-run knock in the main game and eight runs off three balls in the Super Over. He also played a responsible unbeaten 52-run knock in England's win against Pakistan in last year's T20 World Cup final.
"That's the kind of role England are expecting" - Aakash Chopra on Ben Stokes' exploits in the recent Ashes
Aakash Chopra reckons England might be expecting Ben Stokes to do an encore of the inspirational knocks he played in the recent Ashes. He stated:
"His captaincy was inspirational in the recent Ashes and he played extremely inspirational knocks under pressure as well. That's the kind of role England are expecting, that he will come and do well under pressure. He will be seen batting in the middle order in the middle overs and he will be given the job to drive the game."
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the seam-bowling all-rounder is being picked as a pure batter. He said:
"His bowling workload will be managed. They are not at all thinking that they have picked Ben Stokes the all-rounder. Currently, England believe Ben Stokes the batter is extremely crucial for this team and that is why he will be seen playing against New Zealand now and after that in the World Cup as well."
On the flip side, Chopra pointed out that Jofra Archer will only be a part of the traveling reserves for the World Cup. He highlighted that the seamer is not yet ready to play nine or more games, apart from the travel associated with it, within the span of a little over a month.