Ben Stokes was furious that India’s batsmen opted to complete their centuries rather than accept his offer of a handshake to end the fourth test.
After only managing to pick up four Indian wickets across 138 overs as they pushed to win the match and the series, England offered todeclare the fourth test a draw at the start of the final hour, when there were 15 overs remaining in the match, at around 5.25pm.
What happened?
India’s score was 386 for four, a lead of 75 runs over England, which prompted Stokes to decide that neither team could win and that it was therefore time to go home.
However, both Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, who had batted together since the morning session of day five, were in the eighties and eyeing hundreds, so declined Stokes’ offer to end the game.
In a clash of cricketing cultures – Stokes’ team claim not to care about personal milestones – cross words were exchanged as the game was completed in limp fashion.
Harry Brook was brought on to bowl, with Jadeja helping himself to a hundred first, then Sundar following suit. Sundar took a few minutes to get there, prompting Harry Brook to sledge “f***ing hell Washi, get on with it” after a couple of blocked deliveries.
The game ended in truly farcical fashion as Sundar pushed into the legside and ran through to celebrate his maiden test hundred. However, the ball was just dribbling along the outfield, with the fielder Ben Duckett in the coldest imaginable pursuit. Sundar celebrated, but Jadeja was looking for more runs, and they eventually completed a second.
Hands were finally shaken, with Stokes appearing to exchange cross words with the veteran Jadeja for keeping the game alive for 15 more minutes.
Stokes explained his frustration: “All the hard work was done by India, they both played incredibly well. They got to the point where there was only one result and there was no chance I would risk a fast bowler with injury.
“[Liam Dawson] had bowled so many overs and he was tired and cramping. I wasn’t risking any of my frontline bowlers in the last half hour.”
But India delighted in their determination to see out the match. “It’s no less than a win for us, this draw,” said Shubman Gill. “I think both the batsmen batted brilliantly, both were around 90. A test hundred is a test hundred and we thought they deserved a century. We thought three or four overs is not a lot of overs.”
The former England captain, Michael Vaughan, said: “I quite admired it. The young captain, the two out in the middle could have shaken hands but they had played so well and fought hard. You earn the right to get three figures. The last 10 runs were farcical, but you earn the right and India deserve a huge amount of credit.”
