Ben Stokes is in his own league across all formats in world cricket, opines Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir is in awe of Ben Stokes' all-round ability
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After his sensational all-round efforts in Manchester, Gautam Gambhir is of the opinion that there is no cricketer in the world who is even close to Ben Stokes. Calling him an āimpact player,ā Gambhir admitted that it is every captain's dream to have such a utility player in the setup.
Following his sensational display against New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup final, Ben Stokes has found himself in an amazing purple patch, which has stretched over a year now. Since the start of 2019, Stokes has scored over 1400 runs in Englandās Test whites at a staggering average of 60 including multiple match-winning innings.Ā
In the second Test against West Indies, the Canterbury all-rounder was involved in yet another such innings, with a slow and steady 176 in the first innings before a rapid-fire 78 and a spell of 3/59 across both the innings. Following Stokes' match-winning display in Manchester, former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir opined that the English all-rounder is in his own league across all formats in world cricket.Ā
"What he has done in Test cricket, in one-day cricket, in T20 cricket, I don't think so there's anyone, let alone in India, there isn't anyone who's even close to him in world cricket at the moment. You can't compare anyone in India at the moment with Ben Stokes. Absolutely not, because Ben Stokes is in his own league," Gambhir was quoted as saying in the Star Sports show 'Cricket Connected'.
From the World Cup final to the Headingley exploits, StokesāĀ abilities with the bat, ball and on the field have been well documented. According to Gambhir, that is the kind of impact player that every captain dreams of having in his team.Ā
"That is the kind of impact player you need in every line-up. It would be a dream for every captain to have someone like Ben Stokes - whether he's batting, whether he's bowling, whether he's fielding," Gambhir added.
