"Neither here nor there, but still considered to be the best in the world" - Aakash Chopra questions Ben Stokes after ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

Former India player Aakash Chopra has questioned why Ben Stokes is labeled as the best all-rounder in the world. He highlighted that the England captain does not have great numbers with either the bat or the ball over the last two years.

India registered an emphatic 336-run win in the second Test against England in Birmingham on Sunday, July 6. Stokes, who was dismissed for a golden duck in the first innings, scored 33 runs off 73 deliveries in the second innings and picked up a solitary wicket in 26 overs across India's two innings.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener highlighted Stokes' recent Test numbers and wondered why he is considered among the best all-rounders in world cricket.

"I want to talk about Ben Stokes because we are told and made to understand that he is the best in the world, that his statue should be built. However, the question is what he is actually. Let's go into the numbers. His last Test hundred came in 2023. It's been two years," Chopra said (9:20).

"He has been a team's captain continuously for two years. There has been no pressure on him for his place. He has an average of 26 or 27 and hasn't scored a century for the last two years, but he is the best all-rounder. So he might have taken a lot of wickets. The bowling numbers are also very ordinary. So neither here nor there, but still considered to be the best in the world," he added.

Ben Stokes has aggregated 886 runs, with no centuries, at an average of 28.58 in 19 Tests since July 2023. He has picked up 22 wickets at an average of 33.81 in the same period.

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"It's a bit of a cop-out" - Aakash Chopra on Ben Stokes' batting position in Tests

Ben Stokes has batted at No. 6 in both Tests against India. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that Ben Stokes has taken the easy route by consistently batting at No. 6, even when he wasn't fit to bowl.

"He bats at No. 6. Whoever bats at No. 6 is generally an all-rounder. For some time, he wasn't bowling, but he was still batting there. He didn't go to bat up the order at all, and never does that. It's a bit of a cop-out because eight out of 10 times, you bat with the tail," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the England captain had a ready excuse whenever he couldn't deliver with the bat.

"Everyone would clap if you score runs with the tail, and if you are unable to do so, they would say it was the tail, so could he have done it alone, as people got out from the other end, and he was forced to hit?" Chopra observed.

To conclude, Aakash Chopra noted that Ben Stokes even makes one believe that he had received a magical ball whenever he gets out. He added that it's an achievement and an accomplishment for the 33-year-old that he is holding onto his place in the team for two years despite his 'ordinary' numbers.