NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra feels England talisman Ben Stokes is the best all-rounder in the world across formats. In the ongoing #raisethebat series between England and West Indies, Stokes has once again showed the world his all-round credentials, troubling the visitors with both bat and ball.
"At this point in time, I have no doubts in my mind that Ben Stokes is the no.1 all-rounder in the world across formats. If you look at Test cricket, he averages 43 (with the bat)...in ODIs he has an average of 59 while in T20Is his average is 33," Chopra said during his show AakashVani on his YouTube channel.
"His bowling average in Tests is 28. In ODIs, his average is 54, which is an anomaly. In T20Is his bowling average is 18.
"There is no doubt that Ben Stokes is the best in the world currently and I sincerely hope that Hardik Pandya reaches that level. He was having a good run in his promising career but then back-to-back injuries saw him go backwards a bit.
"Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) I think is on that path but he hasn't reached their yet. Shakib obviously is there but rest, I don't think there is any player who comes even close to him," he added.
In the first Test in Southampton, Stokes was named as stand-in England captain and he top-scored in the first essay with 43 as the hosts were bundled out for 204. He then finished with outstanding figures of 4/49 during West Indies innings.
In the second innings too, he score 46 and scalped two wickets but couldn't save his team from a four-wicket defeat.
Stokes then showed the world his batting credentials in the second Test at Manchester as he slammed a majestic 176 off 356 deliveries. He showed incredible composure during the course of his innings and his strike-rate of 49 showed how he had to battle natural instincts for the betterment of the team.