Ben Stokes vs Virat Kohli: How both players follow similar approach as Test captains

England did the unthinkable during the 1st Test match against Pakistan, as Ben Stokes’ decision-making skills led the visiting side at the Rawalpindi stadium to a win by 74 runs. The Rawalpindi pitch came under immense criticism from cricket enthusiasts as the organizers were slammed for curating the pitch poorly. Batting at the flat Rawalpindi track, England amassed a massive total of 657 runs in the first innings, before Pakistan hit 579 runs in the second innings. 

What happened in the third innings, went on to make the winning difference for England as Stokes’ decision to declare the innings at 264/7 allowed England to try to bowl out Pakistan with 100 overs remaining in the 1st Test. As Pakistan were bowled out on 268 runs in the fourth innings, England claimed a history Test win by 74 runs on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Stokes’ comments about his mentality as a captain in the match reminded fans of something that former India captain Virat Kohli said in 2015.

Know how Virat Kohli and Ben Stokes share the similar thought process

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Stokes said, “I have got no interest in playing for the draws..we always try to look at the positive option.” “On wickets like this, you have to make things happen – score your runs quickly and then make some pretty rash and bold decisions with the field placing and bowling changes and stuff like that. I think we have played eight-nine test matches now, and one thing we try and do is focus on ourselves, rather than the opposition,” the English Test captain added.

 ‘Drawing a Test match has to be the last option’; Virat Kohli said in 2015

Interestingly, after taking over Team India’s captaincy in the longest format of the game, Kohli preached and followed a similar mindset. As a Test captain for India, Kohli was fearless with his call and it reflected in the squad’s rise in the format from 2015 onwards. India went on to reclaim the no. 1 Test side status during this time and also clinched high-octane away series wins in Australia, England, and South Africa. 

As reported by PTI, after leading India to a historic Test series win against Sri Lanka in 2015, the Indian cricket stalwart said, “We maintain that drawing a Test match has to be the last option for our group of guys right now. They have responded beautifully and there is nothing better than winning. I think this might be the right kind of boost that we require and they would want to beat other teams as well”.