Virat is going to go down as one of the greatest: Ben Stokes

Bengaluru, July 19: The out-of-form Virat Kohli has come under fire from all quarters, but on Tuesday, England Test captain Ben Stokes lauded the former Indian skipper's energy on the field.

Kohli had called Stokes 'the most competitive bloke' he has played against after the England all rounder announced his retirement from ODI cricket on Monday.

Returning the compliment, Stokes told Sky Sports that Kohli will go down as one of the greatest players to have played all three formats of the game.

"Look, Virat is going to go down as one of the greatest players to play the game in all three formats. He is a phenomenal player. And I have absolutely loved every time I have played against someone like him," Stokes told Sky Sports.

"The energy and the commitment that he gives to the game is something I have always admired even before I started playing against him. When you play against guys like that, you understand sort of what it means to not just yourself but for everybody else who was lucky enough to play at the top level.

"I am sure we will have some other battles on the field. It was nice to hear what he (Kohli) said," said Stokes.

Kohli has been enduring a tough run for nearly three years. With 70 international hundreds to his name, the swashbucklingh Indian skipper has not scored a century since November 2019.

This year too Kohli has been enduring a tough run and had another off season IPL campaign. Kohli's poor run continued in the recently concluded series in England. He has been rested for the upcoming West Indies series beginning on July 22.

In the recently-concluded away series in England, Kohli managed to score just 11 and 20 in the rescheduled fifth and final Test in Edgbaston, while in the three-match T20Is he scored 12 in two innings and 17 and 16 in two matches of the three-match ODI series. India won the T20I and ODI series.

With the T20 World Cup around the corner, calls have grown for the exclusion of the former skipper from the Indian side, while Kohli has also found support from several quarters.