2 reasons why Ben Stokes' captaincy style is similar to that of Virat Kohli and 1 reason why it isn't
Ben Stokes has been a revelation as the new England Test skipper. He took over the reigns of the Test side following Joe Root's decision to relinquish the captaincy and it didn't take long to turn things around.
In his first assignment as full-time skipper, the star all-rounder led England to a clean sweep against New Zealand in the recently concluded three-match Test series.
With Team India waiting next, Ben Stokes has his task cut out - to defend Edgbaston with all his might. England have never lost a Test match against India in Birmingham. They will look to maintain that when they take the field against the Men in Blue on July 1 in the rescheduled fifth test.
Interestingly, the Englishman's fiery captaincy style has invited comparisons to that of former India skipper Virat Kohli. Incidentally, the two share a history together and have gone toe-to-toe against each other many times in the past.
England captain #BenStokes stated that his team will play with the same mindset against India as they did for the New Zealand series.
#ENGvIND https://t.co/DRs9lgOJ8J
As the cricket fraternity braces itself for another blockbuster, here are two reasons why Ben Stokes' captaincy style is similar to that of Kohli and one reason why it isn't.
#1. Leading from the front
Some cricketers are known to thrive under pressure. Ben Stokes and Virat Kohli are two of the biggest names in that category.
Kohli became India's Test captain in 2014 after MS Dhoni retired from red-ball cricket. While many would feel burdened with such a huge responsibility, that wasn't the case for the Indian batter, who relished it.
Pretty soon, Kohli became one of the most sought-after batters in Tests, notching centuries and helping his side win matches. The 33-year-old Test numbers skyrocketed during his time as the skipper, as he scored the most double hundreds by in Test cricket by a skipper (7).
Ben Stokes showed shades of the same spirit well before he was given the captaincy. He delivered some memorable performances with both bat and ball, setting a benchmark for his teammates.
He played one of the best knocks in recent history in 2019 against Australia at Headingly. Chasing an impossible 359 to win, the 31-year-old scored a knock of 135 not out and shared a 76-run partnership for the tenth wicket with Jack Leach to win the match for England.
#2. Ben Stokes' aggresive intent
Captain Ben Stokes heaps praise on coach Brendon McCullum and support staff after the series win against New Zealand.
#Cricket #CricTracker #ENGvNZ #BenStokes #BrendonMcCullum #JoeRoot #JonnyBairstow #KaneWilliamson https://t.co/HwX5UKyR4q
Virat Kohli revolutionized India's performance in Tests by breathing aggressive intent into the team. The former Indian skipper believes in the philosophy of not giving an inch to the opposition - a sentiment shared by Ben Stokes as well.
Test sixes for Ben Stokes - just the third player in Test history to reach the mark after Brendon McCullum and Adam Gilchrist! 
💯 Test sixes for Ben Stokes - just the third player in Test history to reach the mark after Brendon McCullum and Adam Gilchrist! 💪
#ENGvNZ
Right from the first Test against New Zealand, England exhibited attacking intent on the field - a trait they are arguably not known for. They went hard on the New Zealand cricketers and refused to settle for anything less than a win.
Needing 299 runs to win the second Test at Trent Bridge, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes tore through New Zealand's bowling attack, an approach commonly seen in T20 cricket.
Bairstow was eventually sent back to the pavilion, but not before he scored England's second-fastest Test hundred off 77 balls. Following his dismissal, the England skipper took charge and finished the match by hitting Trent Boult for 14 runs in the 50th over.
#3. The reason why their captaincy isn't similar - Virat Kohli was a bowler's captain
One of the major changes Virat Kohli brought about in the Indian Test squad was the development of a core group of fast bowlers. Until that point, the Men in Blue never had a rich pool of quicks to rely on, especially in overseas conditions.
The insistence on developing quality fast bowlers was the prime reason behind India's success overseas. Additionally, Kohli also made some major changes to the playing XI, usually opting for six batters and five bowlers.
Although Ben Stokes' time as captain has just begun, he is arguably not as aggressive as the former Indian captain as far as bowling combinations are concerned. During the series against New Zealand, the 31-year-old opted for a more defensive setup of seven batters and four bowlers. Despite Stokes accounting for the fifth bowling option, his over reliance on senior pros Stuart Broad and James Anderson is likely to backfire in the long run.