India vs England 2021: Ben Stokes Opens Up About His Verbal Spat With Virat Kohli

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has described his on-field altercation with Indian skipper Virat Kohli as two competitors going ‘toe-to-toe’ against each other with neither of them backing down.

Ben Stokes and Virat Kohli’s heated verbal altercation became one of the biggest talking points of the first day of the fourth and final  Test between India and England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

It all happened after the 13th over of the morning session when Virat Kohli got stuck into Ben Stokes, who was in the midst of a conversation with his partner Jonny Bairstow.

Kohli’s reaction was in the wake of Ben Stokes hurling a few words at pacer Mohammed Siraj after the latter had dished out a bouncer. Siraj later revealed that Ben Stokes had abused him and while he did not respond back, he apprised Virat Kohli about the matter.

Kohli then proceeded to take the matter into his own hands and thus ensued a heated exchange between him and Ben Stokes. Ultimately, the on-field umpires intervened and ensured that the spat did not escalate.

Stokes was asked about his altercation during the post-day virtual press-conference where he gave a different dimension to the matter altogether.

The Durham all-rounder said that people assume that it’s all wrong when two competitors are having a go at each other. According to the all-rounder, cricket fans should look at it from a different perspective: here are two opponents who care about what they are doing and that they are not going to back down, no matter who the opposition is.

”I feel nowadays in cricket, it’s a massive talking point when you see two opponents having a go at each other. People see it and think it’s all wrong. But look at it from a different way, there are two-three guys who care about what we are doing. Having played against each other, why wouldn’t we be competitive? We are not going to back down to anyone whoever it be. It will be nice to see us as two competitors going toe-to-toe and not one backing down,” said Ben Stokes in a video released by the ECB.

The verbal altercation, however, did not have any effect on Ben Stokes batting as he top-scored with 55 in what was yet another poor batting display by England.

Also Read: “Ben Stokes Gave Me Gali, Virat Bhai Handled It Thereafter”- Mohammed Siraj Reveals The Reason Behind Virat Kohli-Ben Stokes Verbal Altercation

Watch the video here:

Ben Stokes sheds light on the face-off with Virat Kohli earlier today: #INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/HjU9FTDg1F

— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) March 4, 2021