Gautam Gambhir offered a strident defense of the Indian team’s decision to continue batting on Day 5 of the fourth Test in Manchester, even after England captain Ben Stokes approached the umpire with an offer to declare the match a draw with approximately 15 overs remaining.

Gautam Gambhir questions the spirit of sportsmanship after Ben Stokes’ handshake drama on Day 5

The controversy arose because Ravindra Jadeja was batting on 89 and Washington Sundar on 80, both well on their way to Test centuries. Stokes’ offer, which was flatly refused by the Indian batters, visibly irked the England skipper.
Gambhir articulated his strong viewpoint at the post-match press conference, rhetorically asking, “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?”

Gambhir continued to challenge England’s perspective, questioning if they would have allowed their own players to achieve a first Test century under similar circumstances, especially after having “weathered the storm” and saved the match from a challenging position of being 311 runs in arrears in their second innings. Gambhir concluded by stating, “If they want to play that way, that’s up to them. I’ve got nothing more to say. I think both those guys deserved a 100 and fortunately they got it,”

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Ben Stokes’ frustration and India’s asserted right to bat on with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar

Stokes’ frustration was evident when his offer to end the match was rejected. He sarcastically asked Jadeja, ‘Do you want to score a hundred against Harry Brook?’ to which Jadeja calmly replied, ‘I can’t do anything.” Stokes later explained his rationale, stating, ‘We took the game as far as we could. As soon as draw looked inevitable, I wasn’t going to risk my bowlers with the short turnaround (time of three days before the start of fifth Test),’

In what appeared to be a mark of protest or an attempt to force the issue, Stokes brought on part-time bowler Harry Brook into the attack. However, this move backfired as Jadeja capitalised, hitting Brook for a six to complete his third Test hundred. Sundar also went on to reach his maiden Test century during this period. Throughout the drama, Jadeja reportedly maintained his grace, ticking off the England players as India was, by the rules, well within its rights to continue batting. The contest ultimately concluded with both Indian batters achieving their milestones.

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