After 45 days of intense cricketing action, the five-match Test series between England and India ended with the scoreline of 2-2. India registered a thrilling six-run win in the fifth Test at the Oval
to level the series. It turned out to be a thrilling contest between both England and India where we saw a lot of onfield drama apart from the cricketing action. One incident took place during the final day of the fourth Test in Manchester where England lost a chance to win the match and offered a handshake to the Indian batters to draw the match.
However, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar who were nearing their respective hundreds refused to shake hands with England captain Ben Stokes and continued to play until they both reached the milestone. Frustrated with this, Stokes taunted Jadeja and Sundar that they want to complete their tons in front of part-time bowlers like Joe Rootand Harry Brook. Now, a couple of days after the end of the series, Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar shared his thoughts on the whole handshake saga during the Manchester Test.
When Jadeja and Sundar came out to bat, Harry Brook wasn’t bowling, right?: Sachin Tendulkar
Sharing his insights in a video shared on Reddit, Sachin Tendulkar said that Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja refusing to shake hands to complete their tons was rightly within the spirit of the game. “People are asking Washington scored a hundred, Jadeja scored a hundred (but) was it in the right spirit? Why shouldn’t it be? They were playing for a draw. Before that, when England was having a go at them – they negotiated it well," Tendulkar said.
“According to me, the series was alive. So why should they (India) go ahead (to shake hands) and give the rest to England fielders and the bowlers? If they (England) want to bowl Harry Brook, it was Ben Stokes’ choice. That is not India’s problem. So, to me, it was absolutely fine. They were playing for a draw, not their centuries. If they had gotten outn when they came out to bat, we could’ve lost the Test. A few more wickets and we would’ve been in trouble. When they came out to bat, Harry Brook wasn’t bowling, right? Someone else was. So, why should England’s bowlers and fielders be kept fresh for the 5th Test? Do you have an answer for that? No!" the former cricketer further added.
