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‘Ben is somewhat similar to Virat Kohli’: Nasser Hussain on Stokes driving England in first Test against West Indies

July 5, 2020

Written By,

Payel Gosh

In the absence of Joe Root, the England Test squad will be under the captaincy of Ben Stokes when they take on West Indies starting Wednesday (June 8).

The match is a piece of a three-Test arrangement and imprints the arrival of universal cricket since the game reached halt in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Backing Stokes and his captaincy, former England captain Nasser Hussain said the all-rounder will come out with flying colors. Hussain is hopeful the Stokes will able to emulate India’s Virat Kohli and his captaincy.

“Generally, what Ben does is a bit like Virat. Everything he does, he does it at 100 mile an hour. So, I think he will be an excellent captain, he’s only a stand-in captain. Joe Root is off with that baby, his second child. I think as a stand-in captain, I am absolutely behind it, absolutely great choice, very loyal as well to Joe Root,” Hussain said.

Root is missing the first Test to be with his wife, Carrie, who is expecting their second child later this week. As for Ben Stokes, this will be the fourth time he will captain a team. 

In the past, Stokes led a team only thrice: once for Durham under-17s and twice for Durham’s academy, have won, lost, and drawn a game each. 

While Stokes becoming the future England captain should not be ruled out, many former England cricketers, including Kevin Pietersen, have opposed the idea. Hussain himself is unsure of Stokes.

“He won’t have any kind of grandeur thinking that this is my job for life. But as a long-term thing – all-rounder with so much on his plate, plays three formats, IPL possibly coming up – I think there’s too much on his shoulders, but never write-off Ben Stokes. He can make an exceptional captain. But I am worrying a little bit about his workload in the future if he does it full time,” Hussain.

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Written By,

Payel Gosh

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