"I wasn't joking" - Virat Kohli's old social media post goes viral after Ben Stokes' heroics in ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test

Former India captain Virat Kohli's social media post from 2023 went viral after Ben Stokes' stunning century in the ongoing fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The England captain slammed his 14th century in the format, ending a two-year drought.

Stokes brought up his ton with a four off the bowling of Mohammed Siraj on Day 4 (Saturday, July 26). He finished with a 141-run knock from 198 deliveries. He played a key role in the home team registering a mammoth 669-run total in response to India's first-innings score of 358.

After the southpaw's splendid batting exploits, Kohli's old X post resurfaced on the microblogging site. The ace batter lauded Stokes following the latter's 155-run effort against Australia at Lord's during the 2023 Ashes.

Stokes played a clutch knock against arch-rivals Australia while chasing a huge 371-run target, albeit in a losing cause. Kohli shared a post on X where he reiterated that the English all-rounder was the most competitive cricketer he has played against.

He wrote:

"I wasn’t joking about calling Ben Stokes the most competitive bloke I’ve played against. Innings of the highest quality but Australia is too good at the moment."

Despite Ben Stokes' marvelous knock, England suffered a heartbreaking 43-run defeat to Australia in the encounter. They were bowled out for 327, with Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazelwood and Pat Cummins taking three wickets apiece.

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Ben Stokes becomes the first captain in 42 years to hit a century and take a five-for in a single Test

Ben Stokes has shown tremendous form in the ongoing fourth Test against England. He emerged as the pick of the bowlers for the home team after electing to field first.

The 34-year-old picked up his fifth five-wicket haul, registering figures of 24-3-72-5. He later produced a brilliant performance with the bat as well. Notably, he became the first captain in 42 years to hit a ton and bag a five-for in the same Test.

Overall, he is the fourth player from England to achieve the significant feat. Stokes has led from the front in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The right-arm pacer is currently the leading wicket-taker in the series, picking up 16 wickets from seven innings at an average of 24.75.

With the bat, he has amassed 304 runs across seven innings at an average of 43.42. Meanwhile, England claimed a massive 311 lead over India, taking a commanding position in the Test.

Apart from Stokes, Joe Root also hit a wonderful century, scoring 150 runs from 248 balls. Opener Ben Duckett contributed 94 runs off just 100 deliveries, while Zak Crawley (84 off 113 balls) and Ollie Pope (71 off 128 balls) also hit fine half-centuries.

Ravindra Jadeja was the most successful bowler for India, finishing with a four-wicket haul. It is worth mentioning that this is a pivotal encounter for the Shubman Gill-led side as England lead the five-match series 2-1.

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Edited by Aditya Suketu Desai