Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 28 : Following India's valiant draw against England at Manchester during the fourth Test, former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin slammed England captain Ben Stokes and his team for taking out their frustration on all-rounders Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja after they refused to settle for an early draw and instead, went for their respective centuries, pointing out that if he was the captain, he would have made England bowl the remaining quota of overs fully.
The last few minutes of the Manchester Test were as the modern slang says, absolute cinema. With India having sealed a draw, England skipper Stokes approaches Jadeja to shake hands and call it a day, but to his frustration, Jadeja refused, opting to chase his and Sundar's centuries as they neared the three-figure mark. During the last few overs, England bowled spin and even part-timer Harry Brook and seemingly threw half-hearted deliveries at the duo, with hopes that Jadeja-Sundar would finish off quickly and spare the English attack from more humiliation as they gave away a 311-run lead, which turned into a 114-run lead for India.
The exchange was shown on live television, with Stokes taunting Jadeja if he will score his century against Harry Brook, not even a part-time bowler for his team. Even opener Zak Crawley chimed in with some banter, saying that Jadeja should have played faster if he wanted his century. These remarks during the last hour of the match showed the immense tiredness, frustration and helplessness of an English attack which had squandered a chance of a series win, with their skipper Stokes even putting his body on the line, holding up his shoulder and grimacing after every delivery.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ash Ki Baat, Ashwin questioned why England players were trying to deny Jadeja-Sundar their centuries just because they felt frustrated after bowling for so long and getting very little in return. He also jokingly remarked Jadeja would have happily played even their former cricketers Andrew Flintoff or Darren Gough.
"Double standards are these. You are frustrated. You can fight with your players, you can punch the wall. Do whatever. But by shaking hands, you are saying 'I am frustrated, you also do not make a 100. You also go crying. How can it be like this? You are saying, 'I am unhappy. You also do not be happy.' He (Jadeja) has worked since morning. He has played Archer. All the bowlers you bowled, he played. Should he leave a century?," questioned Ashwin.
'Your question was 'Do you want to make a century against Harry Brook?' No. He wants to make a 100. Bring Andrew Flintoff, we did not say no. You are bowling Harry Brook. That is your mistake not ours. I want to ask Zak Crawley, what is your role? (for his remarks)," he continued.
Ashwin said that if he were the Indian captain, he would have made England bowl all the remaining overs no matter what.
"There were two reasons (behind the handshake by Stokes) -- one, you did not want to tire your bowlers. Fine. Second, you were frustrated and thought, 'If I am not happy, you should not be either.' That is not how cricket works. If I were captain, I would have played all overs," he continued.
Finally, supporting Ashwin and Sundar's hunt for milestones, Ashwin said that these are Test runs and a century is "earned, not gifted".
"Washington deserved it. Jadeja deserved it. Period," he concluded.
Coming to the match, England opted to field first. Half-centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 in 107 balls, with 10 fours and a six), Sai Sudharsan (61 in 151 balls, with seven fours) and Rishabh Pant (54 in 75 balls, with three fours and two sixes) took India to 358 runs, with Stokes (5/72) troubling the visitors with timely wickets and not letting a massive partnership happen. Jofra Archer also took 3/73.
In the second innings, Zak Crawley (84 in 113 balls, with 13 fours and a six) and Ben Duckett (94 in 100 balls, with 13 fours) produced a 166-run stand for the opening wicket, sending India on leather hunt. The presence of Joe Root (150 in 248 balls, with 14 fours) and Stokes (141 in 198 balls, with 12 fours and a six) aggravated Indian bowlers, who saw these two produce milestone after milestone on their way to a 311-run lead. England was skittled out for 669 runs, with Ravindra Jadeja (4/143) being the pick of the bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah (2/112) had an off day at work.
After Chris Woakes reduced India to 0/2, KL Rahul (90 in 230 balls, with eight fours) and skipper Shubman Gill (103 in 238 balls, with 12 fours) caused England's faces to tense, batting three sessions for an 188-run stand. After these two were done, the spin all-rounder duo of Jadeja (107* in 185 balls, with 13 fours and a six) and Washington Sundar (101* in 206 balls, with nine fours and a six) rattled and frustrated England with their resolve and wall-like presence, taking India to a 114-run lead, ending at 425/4 in a draw.
The series is still alive at 1-2, with the final match at The Oval to start from July 31.