"Wasn't Joking About...": Virat Kohli's Huge Praise For Ben Stokes After Ashes Ton

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

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