A video from the 2016-17 Rajkot Test between India and England has surfaced, revealing how then-India captain Virat Kohli accepted England’s offer for a draw. The video has gone viral following India’s recent fourth Test triumph at Old Trafford in Manchester, where Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar declined a similar offer from Ben Stokes.
at November 2016, England set India a 310-run goal with 49 overs remaining on the last day at Rajkot. As wickets fell, Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja stabilised India’s innings, which finished at 172/6. When England captain Alastair Cook offered a handshake to conclude the match in a draw,
Virat Kohli accepted it despite being one run short of a fifty.
Watch the video below:
My man was never obessed to personal milestones. He never looked for personal milestones ahead of the team. pic.twitter.com/ya7dAT1WSe
— Abhay (@abhiiiisays) July 28, 2025
Meanwhile, fast forward to July 2025, India in the fourth Test found themselves on the back foot as they were trailing by 311 runs after England’s first-innings total of 669. After a horrible start, the Indian batters made a resounding comeback. Shubman Gill (103), KL Rahul (90), Ravindra Jadeja (107*), and Washington Sundar (101*) put on a brilliant fight. As Day 5 neared its conclusion, with India on 386/4, England captain Stokes offered a handshake to end the game in a draw.
I wasn’t going to be risking any of my frontline bowlers: Ben Stokes
However, unlike in 2016, Jadeja and Sundar refused. The duo, in their 90s, wanted to complete personal milestones and, more importantly, finish India’s comeback on a strong note. Their decision frustrated the English side. Following this, Stokes handed the ball to part-timer Harry Brook.
Jadeja hit a huge six to reach his hundred, while Sundar soon brought up his maiden Test ton. Despite initial disappointment, Stokes later praised the Indian pair. He cited the packed schedule and concern for his frontline bowlers as reasons for offering the draw.
“We were willing to take it as far as we possibly could and throw everything at them that we did, but it got to that point where there was obviously only one result left on the table and I wasn’t going to be risking any of my frontline bowlers in a situation like that, especially when we’ve got a quick turnaround.
“We were willing to take it as far as we possibly could and throw everything at them that we did, but it got to that point where there was obviously only one result left on the table and I wasn’t going to be risking any of my frontline bowlers in a situation like that, especially when we’ve got a quick turnaround,” Stokes told the BBC.
![[WATCH] ENG vs IND 2025: Arshdeep Singh breaks into bhangra after Manchester draw](https://cricketmood.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Arshdeep_Singh_Dance.jpg "[WATCH] ENG vs IND 2025: Arshdeep Singh breaks into bhangra after Manchester draw 7"){kind=small}
India
