Australia star Aaron Finch says Cumbria’s Ben Stokes is the best player in the world – and says he’s looking forward to being on the same side.

The pair could team up for Northern Superchargers in the inaugural edition of The Hundred this summer.

Aussie limited-overs captain Finch says he is relieved to be a team-mate of Stokes after coming up against him many times in the past.

Finch said: “I’m looking forward to playing with him [Stokes] and not against him, I can tell you that much!

“I’ve only played a couple of games with him before for the Melbourne Renegades and it was brilliant.

“To be playing with arguably the best player in the world – he bats, bowls fields, does everything – I’m super excited about that.

“He’s someone who we’ve seen how damaging he can be with the bat, some spells that he can bowl with the ball and some freakish things in the field.”

Stokes is with England for their much-anticipated Test series against India, which starts in Chennai tomorrow.

After missing the recent Sri Lanka series, the 29-year-old Cockermouth star is set to return to the side along with Rory Burns for a game which also sees captain Joe Root play his 100th Test.

India captain Virat Kohli has paid tribute to his opposite number ahead of his milestone appearance.

“Playing a hundred Tests is no small achievement,” Kohli said.

“Joe can be very proud of being on this journey and still continuing to do so.

“He’s got many years left in him so huge congratulations on that.

“I have good memories of watching Joe when he came onto the international scene. He probably got off to a head-start compared to the others in that group of four and has gone on to become the face of England’s batting.

“When we play England Joe is always the vital wicket that we look to get early. That is a compliment to his game, his longevity and consistency over so many years.

“He’s got a great game himself and has a great understanding of the game.”

Zak Crawley is ruled out for the first two Tests with a wrist injury which he suffered after slipping on the changing room’s marble floors. Ollie Pope is set to come in.

The series is being televised by Channel 4.