You look at Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios: Ben Stokes on his 'rivalry' with Virat Kohli

As long as the boundaries are not crossed, rivalries are what make sports entertaining. Speaking of his rivalry with Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli, Ben Stokes gave a fine example as he explained his on and off-field relationship with the poster-boy of Indian cricket.

Both Stokes and Kohli are among the finest cricketers in the world in this generation. The two have produced some unthinkable performances and helped their respective teams attain certain glorious results.

Ahead of the release of his documentary ‘Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes', Stokes shed light on the subject of his rivalry with Virat.

“Look, sport produces amazing contests not only between teams but you also have those battles and contests between individuals. But at the end of the day, there is always respect between oppositions, between individuals, and it’s just in our sports.

“Just an example – you look at Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios. They have obviously had a huge rivalry but still at the end of the day, there is always that respect there between the two professional athletes. That’s the same for us and through sports. You are always going to have a battle and trying your hardest to win a game. But when it comes to the end of it, there is always that respect and that’s what great sport is. One sportsman respects the other,” he said.

Stokes also spoke about the Indian Premier League (IPL) and how cricket prevented him from seeing his father one last time.

"The last time I saw him when I was leaving New Zealand to go to the Indian Premier League. My father wanted me to go he really loved me playing for Rajasthan Royals and the people there. But the unfortunate turn of events made me hate cricket," he said.

Stokes and Kohli will be next be seen competing against each other in the forthcoming T20 World Cup 2022 Australia. Both the cricketers have had some beautiful memories from their visits to Down Under in the past.