Virat Kohli vs Ben Stokes reminiscent of Sourav Ganguly-Andrew Flintoff row

Mohali: With ICC sanctions firmly in place, cricket has been losing character due to fear of penalty but there are still a few who can engage the crowd with their on-field skirmishes. Indian captain Virat Kohli and England’s premier all-rounder Ben Stokes are having a go at each other for the past three days — at times openly like on the first day and at times subtly like it has happened in the next two days.

For many it would be a case of deja vu if they jog their memory back to a similar on-field intensity that an England all-rounder and an Indian captain showed. It was India’s most colourful captain Sourav Ganguly whose epic shirt waving at Lord’s balcony after 2002 Natwest final will be etched in cricket lovers’ memory forever.

The trigger was Flintoff waving his jersey after winning an ODI for England at Wankhede Sadium few months prior to Natwest final. The third Test at Mohali is also witnessing some on-field fireworks between Stokes and Kohli.

On the first day, after Stokes was dismissed, he had a verbal spat with Kohli while returning to the pavilion — an act that got him ICC’s reprimand. On second day, it was Stokes’ turn to get a well-set Kohli out and then to comically gesture ‘sealed lips’ so as to make people aware that he has been under sanction.

On the third day, as soon as Stokes was dismissed by Jayant Yadav, Kohli made an ‘I am quiet’ gesture which said it all. When Jonny Bairstow was asked about it, his answer suggested that they seemed to have now accepted that Virat Kohli comes with a package.

“It’s up to him, isn’t it. He’s obviously quite a vocal character. But that’s Virat. He gets a bit wound up. We’ll leave him to it. If he wants to do that, let him do that. And we’ll go about our business as we have over a period of time,” Bairstow said.