Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar criticised England captain Ben Stokes for his furious conduct after Indian batters Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar accepted an early handshake to end the Manchester Test in a tie. Manjrekar compared Stokes’ reaction in the final moments of the match to that of a spoilt child, implying that the England captain went overboard with his mannerisms.
Stokes had volunteered to call off the game with an hour remaining, anticipating an eventual draw. However, Jadeja and Sundar, who were on 89* and 80* at the moment, decided to continue batting. Both hitters eventually reached century against part-time England bowling, and the match ended in a tie.
Sanjay Manjrekar, while appreciating the Indian duo’s determination, pointed out that Stokes’ fury was unnecessary.
“Ben Stokes would have had an inkling. He has travelled to India before. He would have realised that the rest of the world does not think like him. Finally, he behaved like a pampered child, being cranky and refusing to shake hands with Jadeja. I believed India, with Jadeja as the senior player, performed admirably in that situation. “The English players came off looking worse off,” Manjrekar told JioHotstar.
The cricketer-turned-commentator stated that he was not shocked by India’s choice to continue batting despite Stokes’ reluctance, stressing the importance of individual milestones in Indian cricket culture.
“Having been a part of the Indian cricket culture, I knew India will stay and continue. They did the correct thing in my opinion. “Two guys were close to a hundred, and it was the appropriate reward for their exceptional hard work,” Manjrekar stated.
Sundar and Jadeja put on an unbeaten 203-run partnership for the fifth wicket on Day 5 in Manchester, after captain Shubman Gill was out for 103. Sundar, promoted to No. 5, remained unbeaten on 101, while Jadeja finished unbeaten on 107. Despite England’s defeat, Stokes was named Player of the Match for the second time in a row for his all-round effort, which included five wickets for 72 runs and 141 runs off 198 balls.
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