England star all-rounder Ben Stokes isn’t pleased with Virat Kohli’s statement regarding the size of the Edgbaston ground in England. The India skipper’s alleged ‘whinge’ about the size of the Edgbaston cricket ground after the men in blue’s 31-run defeat in the 2019 World Cup bothered Stokes.
Ben Stokes on the bizarre statement:
In his book ‘Ben Stokes on Fire’, the 28-year-old covered numerous subjects and milestones. Especially, England’s journey from the disastrous 2015 World Cup to the victorious campaign in the 2019 season. India, under the captaincy of Kohli, fell short of the daunting target of 338. It was India’s only loss in the group stages of the competition.
“… 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.”
The hosts were desperate for a win, having lost to Sri Lanka and Australia. On the other hand, India were sitting comfortably on the points table. Eoin Morgan won the toss and elected to bat straightaway. A total of 337 looked to be a tough task even against an in-from India line-up.
England push brakes on India’s chase:
Johnny Bairstow hit a sublime 109-ball 111 while Stokes played a good hand of 54-ball 79. Chasing 338, India lost KL Rahul early in the innings. Rohit Sharma and Kohli forged a 138 run-stand for the second wicket. Rohit made a watchful 102 in the company of Kohli, who chipped in with 66. However, all the effort went in vain.
“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,” Kohli had said post the defeat.
“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 quipped.
Veteran batter MS Dhoni was criticized for his approach as he hit a 31-ball 42. Hardik Pandya tried to fasten up the chase with a quick-fire 45 but it just not enough to beat the Three Lions. Meanwhile, Stokes also mentioned in his book how he proved himself wrong when it comes to shedding tears on the field.
