Ben Stokes is every Indian’s punching bag at the moment after what he did against India last evening in Manchester.
A match that should have been celebrated for the brilliance of two of India’s finest all-rounders guiding their team to a remarkable escape will, unfortunately, be overshadowed by controversy, marred by England’s questionable tactics and the actions of their captain, Ben Stokes. When India lost two wickets with no runs on the board on Saturday, Day 4 of the 4th Test against England at Manchester, Shubman Gill was probably starting at the bottom of the barrel, with India thinking of ways to end the series with a morale-boosting win at The Oval. After all, with five sessions to go, England smelled blood and were favourites to secure the first-ever Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
That is, until four individual men decided to thwart England’s dreams of taking an unassailable lead. KL Rahul and Gill started India’s show of grit before Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar piled on the misery for England, crushing their Bazball mentality on the ground with an epic draw. In India, draws are not celebrated much, especially in the last 10 years, but this one, like Sydney 2021, is nothing short of a win.
But the win was adulterated with a huge tablespoon of sourness, led by Stokes. With 90 minutes left for the official end to the day’s play, Stokes apparently had enough and walked up to India to shake hands, hoping Jadeja and Sundar would agree. However, he didn’t realise that although a draw was the only result possible from that point onward, both batters were close to completing their centuries. India’s refusal ticked Stokes off, throwing open, once again, the spirit of the game debate. Sanjay Manjrekar, like many, was not impressed with Stokes’ conduct, giving the England captain a brutal reality check.
“In the end, what we saw was actually the frustration of a team that is used to dominating at home. Very rarely has there been a draw – it has happened twice in the Bazball era. And you’ve got to say that it was the first time that Ben Stokes had to change his principle of winning the toss and batting first was against India, and this draw without a weather intervention has come against India. India have done a lot of things that have put Ben Stokes off, and the kind of style and leadership that he has,” Manjrekar said on JioStar after the match.
“In the end, what you saw was Ben Stokes frustrated, not used to the kind of result. And finally, I will say this. He was a bit of a spoiled sport and behaved like a spoiled kid. Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar had batted for hours, and getting this close to a hundred, there was no way they were going to accept. Ben Stokes will rue what he has done. But it tells you exactly how frustrated England are, and all this is only because of the kind of fight this new-age Indian batting has put up.”
The stump mic picked up the entire conversation between Stokes, Jadeja and a couple more members of the Indian team. It’s common practice for teams to mutually shake hands when the only possible outcome is a draw. India’s lead had already crossed 100, and with six wickets remaining, neither batter looked like getting out. It was evident that India wanted to bat till at least Jadeja and Sundar’s milestones.
Would you have done the same thing? Manjrekar questions Stokes
Besides, England had been on the field since yesterday morning, with their bowlers having very little to show for their effort; the team was tired and worn out, mentally and physically. However, what happened after the incident was a low blow. Harry Brook sent down lollipop deliveries, almost gifting free runs to Jadeja and Sundar to complete their centuries. It was this more than anything else, that would not impress Stokes when he looks back at it years from now.
“The only argument Stokes could have had was that if India had promised him 15 or 30 minutes earlier that if and when the time comes, we would be happy to shake hands. That didn’t happen. If that is the case and he found India not agreeing because two of their batters were nearing 100s, I can understand the frustration. There was no way India was going to take up that offer. Ben Stokes should have known that. Would he have done the same thing with two of his batters approaching 100s, putting up such a fight. I doubt whether he would have said let’s shake hands,” pointed out Manjrekar.
The article originally appeared on Hindustan Times
