India vs England 2021: Ben Stokes Has Won The Battle With Virat Kohli After Their Exchange Of Words - Graeme Swann

Former England spinner, Graeme Swann was all smiles when he stamped that Ben Stokes attained the wood over Virat Kohli after the all-rounder dismissed the Indian captain on Friday in Ahmedabad.

Stokes got rid of Kohli for an 8-ball duck – his second of the series – in India’s first innings with a brilliant short-pitched delivery, which the right-hander nicked off to the gloves of wicket-keeper Ben Foakes.

This wicket comes a day after both the superstars were involved in a heated exchange of words on Day 1 while Ben Stokes was batting in England’s first innings. In one of Mohammed Siraj’s overs, Stokes reportedly abused Siraj when the pacer bowled some bouncers; Virat Kohli then took the matters into his own hands and decided to have few verbal interactions with the left-hander.

Very well done Ben Stokes: Graeme Swann

After Day 1, while both the players shrugged off their spat as a part of the game, Graeme Swann didn’t and brought it up after Stokes got the better of Kohli.

The 41-year-old cricketer-turned-commentator believes that it is a difficult pitch to get a start on as a new batsman, and that barring Dom Bess the rest of the England bowlers have bowled with great discipline in India’s second innings. They have minimized the scoring rate, and also picked wickets at regular intervals to keep themselves in the game.

“Well he is world-class, we all know that. I said earlier in the morning that it will be difficult to start for a batsman, I was thinking more against spin bowling because of the turn and bounce.

“Virat, we know that he looks to score early. He likes bat on the ball. He just chased it a little bit. I maintain that if you are not as good as Virat Kohli, you probably are not going to pick that ball, you will be too late on it. Very well done Ben Stokes, there were few words exchanged between them yesterday, so Stokes has won that battle today,” Graeme Swann told the broadcaster.

By Tea, India trail in the first innings by 52 runs with Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar at the crease. Ben Stokes, James Anderson, and Jack Leach have picked 2 wickets apiece.

Also Read: Sanjay Manjrekar Explains How Jack Leach Has Managed To Get The Better Of Cheteshwar Pujara This Series