The Manchester Test between India and England, which seemed to be ending for a quiet draw took a u-turn quickly after England skipper Ben Stokes went to the Indian batters and offered his hand to call an end to the match before the last hour’s play was to start. But with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar batting on 89 and 80, the Indians didn’t take the offer from Stokes and chose to continue batting.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain said he didn’t have a problem with the call made by the Indian team, and both Jadeja and Sundar deserved to be there at the end.
“I didn’t have a problem with it. England did. They had tired bowlers and tired legs and wanted to get off but the two lads had worked hard to get into the 80s and 90s and wanted hundreds,” said Hussain to Sky Sports.
“Stokes didn’t have to bowl Harry Brook and it looked a bit silly but we make too much of these things. India deserved the draw and Washington and Jadeja deserved to be there at the end,” he added.
Shortly after this drama, Jadeja scored his century as Stokes resorted to bowling loopy deliveries to him through Harry Brook. Jadeja slammed a six down the ground to score his 2nd Test century. Sundar, too, reached his maiden century as India finally agreed to end the hard-fought match in a draw.
A visibly frustrated Stokes said after the match, “I don’t think there would have been much more satisfaction in walking off 100 not out, getting your team out of a tricky situation, than walking off at 80 or 90 not out. Scoring 10 more runs isn’t going to change the fact you’ve saved your team from a series defeat.”
India head coach Gautam Gambhir asked that if the shoe was on the other foot, would England have done the same?
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“If someone is batting on 90 and the other one is batting on 85, don’t they deserve a hundred? Would they have walked off? If someone from England side was batting on 90 and 85 and someone had the opportunity to get his first Test 100, wouldn’t you allow him to do it? They weathered the storm. It’s up to them. If they want to play that way, nothing more to say. I think both those guys deserved a 100 and fortunately they got it,” he said on Sunday at the post-match press conference.
