England skipper Ben Stokes shared his take on India all-rounders Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja not accepting his offer to shake hands for a draw for their tons in fourth test of the ongoing test series. He said that 10 more runs wouldn’t have changed the fact that they bailed their team out of trouble.
Jadeja and Sundar came up with one of the best partnerships in the history of Indian test cricket in the fourth test against England in Manchester. On day five, the hosts needed just eight wickets to win and had 137 runs in the bank.
India were under massive pressure as they lost both the overnight batters in KL Rahul (90) and Shubman Gill (103) in the first session. It was expected that they would succumb to pressure as England were going all guns blazing with the ball.
With England accepting the fact that only a draw is possible, skipper Stokes walked to Jadeja and offered to shake hands and end the game in a draw. This came at a time when both the Indian all-rounders were approaching their tons.
However, Jadeja and Sundar didn’t accept Stokes’ offer and continued batting. The England team expressed their displeasure and said some harsh words to the Indian batters, who then went on to hit a sensational ton with the bat.
The knock that those two played was very, very good – Ben Stokes lauded Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar
While talking about the episode, Stokes lauded Jadeja and Sundar for their heroics. Speaking to reporters, he said:
Stokes, while praising the Indian duo, added that the hard work that they put in wasn’t going to change by the 10 more runs that they scored to reach their tons. He elaborated:
“That’s what you’ve done for your team. You know, the 10 more runs or whatever it was ain’t gonna change the fact that you’ve managed to get your team out of a very, very, very tricky situation and almost saved your team from a series defeat before the last game.”
The series is still in favour of England by a margin of 2-1. The last game will be played at The Oval in London, beginning on 31st July.
Ben Stokes won Player of the Match in the fourth ENG vs IND test.
Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar added an unbeaten 203 runs in the Manchester test.
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India pulled off a gutsy draw in the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Old Trafford, keeping the series alive at 2-1 with one game to play. After conceding a 311-run first-innings lead and being reduced to 0/2 early in their second innings, India, led by the resilience of Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar, forced a draw that seemed unlikely for much of the game.
Skipper Shubman Gill struck a patient 103 — his fourth century of the series — supported by Rahul’s gritty 90 off 220 balls. But the defining moment came in the final act of India’s second innings, as Jadeja (107*) and Sundar (101*) stitched together an unbeaten 203-run stand that not only erased England’s hopes of a win but ignited tensions in the host camp.
England’s Anger Boils Over: “Embarrassing” and “Milestone Hunting”
As Jadeja and Sundar inched toward their centuries on the final morning, visible signs of England’s irritation emerged. Ben Duckett sarcastically questioned how long the Indians would need to reach their milestones, while Zak Crawley bluntly called it “embarrassing.”
In truth, both Indians needed only 15 minutes on day five to bring up their hundreds, before Ben Stokes offered the handshake to close England’s first non-rain-affected draw under his captaincy.
India’s Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar
India pulled off a gutsy draw in the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Old Trafford, keeping the series alive at 2-1 with one game to play. After conceding a 311-run first-innings lead and being reduced to 0/2 early in their second innings, India, led by the resilience of Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar, forced a draw that seemed unlikely for much of the game.
Skipper Shubman Gill struck a patient 103 — his fourth century of the series — supported by Rahul’s gritty 90 off 220 balls. But the defining moment came in the final act of India’s second innings, as Jadeja (107*) and Sundar (101*) stitched together an unbeaten 203-run stand that not only erased England’s hopes of a win but ignited tensions in the host camp.
England’s Anger Boils Over: “Embarrassing” and “Milestone Hunting”
As Jadeja and Sundar inched toward their centuries on the final morning, visible signs of England’s irritation emerged. Ben Duckett sarcastically questioned how long the Indians would need to reach their milestones, while Zak Crawley bluntly called it “embarrassing.”
In truth, both Indians needed only 15 minutes on day five to bring up their hundreds, before Ben Stokes offered the handshake to close England’s first non-rain-affected draw under his captaincy.
While the Indian players celebrated with a sea of tricolours in the stands, England were left to stew. If they were so irked by Jadeja’s milestone-hunting, they could’ve dismissed him first ball. Archer nearly did just that — finding the edge — but Root dropped the chance at slip, one of several missed opportunities that haunted the hosts.
Dropped Catches, Missed Chances, And Growing Fatigue
England’s frustration was rooted not just in the stubbornness of the Indian batters but their own shortcomings in the field. Gill was dropped twice — by Dawson and Pope — on 46 and 81, before being dismissed by Archer for 103. Jadeja too had a life, thanks to Root’s missed catch off Archer.
Despite favourable conditions — a rough patch outside the left-handers’ off stump and the ball maintaining its hardness throughout the five days — England’s attack could only produce five chances in the final 80 overs, 63 of them with the second new ball.
The Dukes ball, for once, held its shape, and England even resorted to scuffing it to generate reverse swing, earning Crawley a warning from the umpires.
Dawson’s Return: Reliable But Toothless
Liam Dawson’s recall to Test cricket after eight years brought with it economy and control, but little threat. He bowled 47 overs in the second innings at a miserly 2.02 runs per over but finished with just one wicket in the match. His return sparked questions over whether England missed a trick not picking the raw, high-releasing Shoaib Bashir.
Despite his toil, Dawson’s second-innings figures — 31 false shots without a wicket — summed up England’s inefficacy. “You have discussions with all your bowlers around what we can look at doing differently,” Stokes explained. “What do you think is the most threatening? Can we look at doing this differently? We tried quite a few different plans, set a few different fields to make the Indian batters feel a bit uncomfortable.”