Indian cricket team star batter Virat Kohli was all praise for Ben Stokes after the England skipper slammed a brilliant century on Day 5 of the second Ashes Test against Australia at Lord’s. Stokes scored an impressive 155 off 214 deliveries but it was not enough as England slumped to a 43-run defeat to hand Australia a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Kohli called Stokes the “most competitive bloke I’ve played against” before adding that Australia has been quite impressive on the field at present.

“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,” he tweeted.

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

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) July 2, 2023

Australia took a stranglehold on the Ashes series after beating England by 43 runs in a fiery and controversial second Test in Lord’s on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

England captain Ben Stokes hit a stunning 155 after Jonny Bairstow was controversially given out stumped after straying out of his ground on the last day.

But England were bowled out for 327 chasing a stiff target of 371.

Australia captain Pat Cummins led the attack with 3-69.

However it was Bairstow’s dismissal shortly before lunch on the last day that lit the blue-touch paper on this match and incited the fury of the usually sedate Lord’s crowd.

Bairstow, the last of England’s specialist batsmen, fell in bizarre fashion for 10 when he wandered out of his ground after ducking a Cameron Green bouncer and quick-thinking wicketkeeper Alex Carey under-armed the ball onto the stumps.

Bairstow thought he had secured his ground by tapping his bat behind the crease.

Cummins could have withdrawn the appeal but the decision was referred to third umpire Marais Erasmus, who ruled Bairstow had been stumped, with England now 193-6.

Spectators at the ‘Home of Cricket’ reacted in fury with a chant of “Same old Aussies, always cheating” — a taunt they repeated for the rest of the day’s play.

England were ultimately left to rue not making the most of winning the toss in overcast conditions as Australia made a first-innings 416 built on batting star Steve Smith’s 110.

England were well-placed at 188-1 in reply only for several batsmen, including Ben Duckett on 98, to throw their wickets away while succumbing to a blatant hooking trap.

The only occasion when a team have won a Test series from 2-0 down came when the Australia team of 1936/37, inspired by batting great Don Bradman, recovered to win an Ashes 3-2.

(With AFP inputs)