Ben Stokes criticises Virat Kohli for 'bizarre' comments following India's World Cup 2019 loss in Edgbaston

New Delhi, May 19: Flamboyant England all-rounder Ben Stokes has criticised India captain Virat Kohli for making a bizarre excuse his side's defeat against hosts England in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in Edgbaston.

In his book titled, 'Ben Stokes on Fire' the New Zealand born cricketer discussed his team's journey from their shambolic exit in 2015 WC to lifting the title four years later in 2019 WC.

Stokes - who was awarded the Player of the Match in the all-important final against New Zealand which the hosts England won in the most dramatic of fashions - said he was surprised to hear Kohli complain about the dimensions of the ground.

England defeated India

Team India was going unbeaten in quadrennial event till the time they met England in their seventh league game of the tournament. They suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Eoin Morgan-led side while chasing a daunting 338 on a flat deck.

Opener Johnny Bairstow (111) and Jason Roy (66) started the proceedings for the hosts in style. Stokes also chipped in with a 54-ball 79.

In reply, India could only muster 306 for the loss of 5 wickets and lost the match by 31 runs. Opener KL Rahul was dismissed for a duck while captain Kohli (66) and his deputy Rohit Sharma (102) added 138 runs for the second wicket but after their dismissal, the team failed to cross the finish line.

Scorecard

What Virat Kohli said?

"The toss was vital, especially looking at the boundaries that are this short. Bizarre that it just falls in place with the boundary limitations and with a flat pitch such as this. It's crazy that things fall in place like that randomly. It's the first time we are experiencing this."

"If batsmen are able to reverse sweep, sweep you for a six on a 59-meter boundary you can't do much as a spinner. They had to be smarter with their lines as it was difficult to contain runs with one short boundary," he had added.

Stokes responds:

The all-rounder said Kohli's remarks at the post-match presentation were the ‘worst complaint' one could make as a captain.

"... it was weird to hear India captain Kohli whingeing about the size of the boundaries at the post-match presentation ceremony. I have never heard such a bizarre complaint after a match. It's actually the worst complaint you could ever make," Ben Stokes wrote in his book.

Stokes on WC win

Stokes recalled his emotions after the World Cup triumph at Lord's and said he was proven wrong for thinking that he would never cry on a cricket field.

England were declared winners based on a now-defunct boundary-count rule after scores were tied in the Super Over.

"There was no room for manoeuvre now. Defeat to Australia had simplified the equation. To win the World Cup from here, we had to beat both India at Edgbaston and New Zealand at my Durham base of Chester- le- Street.

"I never thought I would cry on a cricket field. Now I had done it two or even three times in the space of five minutes. I couldn't have cared less, of course," Stokes wrote.