Sanjay Manjrekar: Jadeja and Sundar scored centuries, helping India draw the match and keep the series alive.
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar took a dig at England captain Ben Stokes’ behaviour after Indian batsmen Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar refused to shake hands to draw the Manchester Test. Manjrekar compared Stokes’ reaction in the final moments of the match to that of a spoilt child and said that the England captain had crossed the line in his behaviour.
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Sanjay Manjrekar: The England Test captain is facing criticism for his heated handshake argument with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, as Jadeja and Sundar were close to their respective centuries when Stokes came forward to extend his hand to draw the Test match, so he refused to shake hands, and decided to continue batting.
“Ben Stokes must have some idea. He has been to India before. He must know that the rest of the world doesn’t think like him. In the end, he behaved like a spoilt child – irritable and didn’t even shake hands with Jadeja. I think India did well in that situation with a senior player like Jadeja in the team. The England players fared even worse,” Manjrekar said on Jio Hotstar.
“Being part of the Indian cricket culture, for me it was a no-brainer that India would be there and continue to play. From my perspective, they did the right thing. Two players were close to hundreds and it was the right reward for their exceptional hard work,” Manjrekar said.
Sanjay Manjrekar: Jonathan Trott defends the reaction
Former England batsman Jonathan Trott, who was part of the show, defended the reaction. “The general trend in England, and Ben Stokes’ mindset is that there are no individual achievements. If you get an offer to finish the match early, it is accepted,” Trott said.
After skipper Shubman Gill was dismissed for 103, Sundar and Jadeja put on an unbeaten 203-run stand for the fifth wicket on the fifth day in Manchester. Sundar, who came in to bat at No. 5, remained unbeaten on 101 while Jadeja remained unbeaten on 107. Despite England’s failure to secure a win, Stokes earned his second consecutive Player of the Match award for his all-round performance, taking 5 for 72 and scoring 141 runs off 198 balls.
