Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has remarked that Ben Stokes is in the league of his own and no player from India or any other part of the world deserves to be compared with the England all-rounder.
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Gambhir’s comment came after Stokes guided England to a series-levelling victory with his stellar all-round showing in the second Test against West Indies at Old Trafford.
“You can’t compare anyone in India at the moment with Ben Stokes,” Gambhir said on the Cricket Connected Show on Star Sports. “Absolutely not, because Ben Stokes is in his own league. What he has done in Test cricket, what he has done in one-day cricket, what he has done 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. And that is the kind of impact player you need in every line-up.”
In the second Test, Stokes scored 176 and 78 not out across the two innings in Manchester and also picked up three wickets in the game as England defeated West Indies by 113 runs.
With this performance, Stokes also overtook Caribbean skipper Jason Holder to become the world’s top-ranked all-rounder while also achieving a career-best third position among batsmen in the updated ICC Test rankings.
Stokes, 29, was also instrumental in England's maiden 50-over World Cup victory last year and helped his team draw the home Ashes too with an iconic knock of 135 not out at Headingley.
Gambhir said even though there are players who would be keen to do the kind of things Stokes has been able to accomplish, at the moment, he can’t think of anyone.
“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 – and he’s a leader in his own capacity,” Gambhir said.
“You don’t have to be a leader to be a leader, you don’t need to be called a captain to be a captain. You can be a leader by your own performances as well. So, I think there are a lot of guys would be actually looking to be like Ben Stokes, but unfortunately, there’s no one at the moment in world cricket,” he further remarked.
