LONDON: England Test captain Ben Stokes has returned the compliment to Virat Kohli, saying he has always admired the energy and commitment that the Indian star brings to the field.
Stokes had announced his retirement from ODI cricket on Monday, following which Kohli called the all-rounder "the most competitive bloke" he has played against.
"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, who has as many as 70 international hundreds under his belt, has not scored a century since November 2019. He struggled even in the recently concluded tour of England. He has been rested from the West Indies series beginning July 22.