File image of Virat Kohli and Ben Stokes© AFP
Following Ben Stokes’ shock ODI retirement announcement on Monday, Virat KOhli had a special message for the star all-rounder. “You’re the most competitive guy I’ve ever played against. Respect,” Kohli commented on Stokes’ Instagram post. Stokes released a statement on social media to announce his retirement from the 50-over format, stating that playing all three formats was “just unsustainable” for him. Stokes’s decision came a few months after he was appointed as England’s test captain. Stokes has played 104 ODIs for England so far, scoring 2,919 runs with three centuries and 21 half centuries and taking 74 wickets. He has now responded to Kohli’s compliment.
“I love Virat. He will go down in history as one of the best players ever to have played the game in all three formats. He is a phenomenal player and I love that I played against someone like him. The energy and the dedication he puts to the game I have admired even before I started playing against him When you play guys like that you understand what it means not only to yourself but to everyone else what it means to play the game top level,” Stokes said on Sky Sports.
“I’ve enjoyed every time I played against him. I’m sure we’ll have some fights on the pitch.”
Earlier, in a statement, Stokes wrote: “I will be playing my last game for England in ODI cricket at Durham on Tuesday. I have decided to withdraw from this format.
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“This was an incredibly difficult decision to make. I have loved every minute of playing for England with my friends. We have had an incredible journey along the way,” he wrote.
“As hard as a decision was to come, it’s not that hard to deal with the fact that I can no longer give my teammates 100% of myself in this format. The England shirt deserves nothing less from everyone who wears it .” he added.
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