Ben, like Virat, does everything at 100 mile an hour: Nasser Hussain

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has backed Ben Stokes to come out with flying colours as the all-rounder gets set to captain the national team for the first side. Stokes will be leading England in the first Test against West Indies starting Wednesday, in the absence of Joe Root – who will be with his wife for the birth of his child – and Hussain is hopeful the all-rounder will be able to emulate India's Virat Kohli and his captaincy.

"Generally, what Ben does is a bit like Virat. Everything he does, he does it at 100 mile an hour. So, I think he will be an excellent captain, he's only a stand-in captain. Joe Root is off with that baby, his second child. I think as a stand-in captain, I am absolutely behind it, absolutely a great choice, very loyal as well to Joe Root," Hussain said on the Cricket Connected Show on Star Sports.

This will be the fourth time Stokes will captain a team. In the past, Stokes has led a team only thrice three times in his cricket career: once for Durham under-17s and twice for Durham's academy, having won, lost, and drawn a game each. Even though Stokes becoming the future England captain should not be ruled out, many former England cricketers, including Kevin Pietersen, have opposed the idea of the all-rounder serving as England's full-time skipper.

Hussain himself is not sure of Stokes being made in-charge full time in the near future. However, on Wednesday, the world will get an idea of what Stokes has to offer as captain and whether he can be perceived as England's leader down the line.

"He won't have any kind of grandeur thinking that this is my job for life. But as a long-term thing – all-rounder with so much on his plate, plays three formats, IPL possibly coming up – I think there's too much on his shoulders, but never write-off Ben Stokes. He could make an exceptional captain, but I am worried a little bit about his workload in the future if he does it full time," Hussain.