What Virat Kohli can learn from Ben Stokes
England’s in-form all-rounder Ben Stokes was recently named Wisden's leading cricketer in the world. With the honour, Stokes displaced Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who had won the prize for three years in a row. Following his latest laurel, Stokes became the first English cricketer since Andrew Flintoff in 2005 to be named Wisden's leading cricketer in the world.
Stokes was rewarded for a sterling show at the 2019 World Cup, in which he scored 465 runs in 11 matches at an average of 66.42 with five fifties including an unbeaten 84 in the final. He also scalped seven wickets with his accurate medium pace while maintaining an economy rate of well under five.
Later in the year, Stokes played one of the greatest Test knocks ever to take England to an unbelievable victory over Australia with his unbeaten 135 in the third Test of the Ashes series at Headingley. Before winning the ICC award, Stokes was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year and also received an OBE in the New Year's Honours List.
"Without him, this Almanack might have been another English hard-luck story. Instead, it's a celebration. Stokes is their all-weather cricketer, a giant come rain or shine,” Wisden editor Lawrence Booth said in praise of Stokes.
What Stokes has done, but Kohli hasn’t
While Kohli is undoubtedly one of the greatest cricketers ever to have played the game, the fact that Stokes has replaced him points to the fact that the England all-rounder has achieved something that the Indian captain has failed to do so far. And, it’s a big achievement at that. For any cricketer willing to prove himself as worthy of the world’s best tag, he or she has to play the stellar role leading the side to World Cup glory.
Most great men have done that - Clive Lloyd in 1975, Sir Viv Richards in 1979, Kapil Dev in 1983, David Boon in 1987, Wasim Akram in 1992, Aravinda de Silva in 1996, Shane Warne in 1999, Ricky Ponting in 2003, Adam Gilchrist in 2007, MS Dhoni in 2011, Mitchell Starc in 2015, and Stokes in 2019. Kohli has a World Cup under his belt, but it came as a youngster in 2011, when he was still finding his feet in international cricket.
Over the three World Cups that he has played, Kohli has struggled to make the desired impact in knockout games. While he made a crucial 35 in the 2011 World Cup final, he was dismissed for 1 off 13, playing an atrocious slog off Mitchell Johnson in the 2015 World Cup semi-final against Australia.
Kohli had a chance to make amends in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand at Manchester. But once again, he let the opportunity slip, getting trapped LBW by Trent Boult, playing an extremely jittery shot. Earlier in the 2017 Champions Trophy final as well, he managed only a single-figure score despite being given a reprieve. Clearly, for all his stupendous records, Kohli has struggled to deliver in the matches that matter most.
Stokes’ comeback story a lesson for Virat
The Indian captain can definitely take inspiration from Stokes who had hit an all-time low when he was thwacked for four consecutive sixes in the 2016 World Cup final as England were stunned in the summit clash by West Indies’ Carlos Brathwaite out of nowhere. Some cricket pundits felt that Stokes would not be able to recover from the mental scars of that brutal assault.
However, not only did the New Zealand-born all-rounder recover, he has gone on to become a high-class all-rounder. And, in the wake of his exploits over the last year, he has taken significant steps towards greatness. His clarity of mind and ability to judge the situation of a big game is something Kohli needs to take a cue from.
Undoubtedly, Kohli is already among the greatest ever. But, his perceptible lack of ability to deliver the goods in major knockout clashes stands as the biggest blip in his legacy. Considering the tight cricketing schedule, Kohli may have only one more World Cup to try and change things around. Playing at home, it will be a great way for the Indian captain to sign off. If Kohli fails to correct the glaring anomaly in his otherwise distinguished career come 2023, his legacy as one of the world’s greatest batsmen will remain blemished.