Manchester [UK], July 28 : Following Team India's hard-fought draw at Manchester during the fourth Test against England, the former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar hailed the Team India for producing "warriors" every match and slammed the English skipper Ben Stokes for behaving like a "spoiled kid" as the visitors refused to draw the match without their all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar getting to their centuries.
To keep the chances of a series draw alive, India played out of their skins to deny Stokes what looked like an easy victory. Centuries from skipper Shubman Gill, Jadeja and Sundar dented the confidence and body language of an aggressive skipper Stokes, always willing to put his body on the line for the team.
Instead, England captain approached his Indian counterparts with an offer to shake hands and call it a day, only for India to refuse to budge and settle for a draw after the duo got their centuries. The skipper Stokes and the whole English unit looked completely unsettled, firing a barrage of remarks at the all-round duo and putting in a half-hearted effort while bowling, as their key players sought some rest.
Following the match on the 'Match Centre Live', JioStar expert Manjrekar was full of praise for Team India's batting unit for producing "warriors" every match and frustrating England, who have abandoned the very idea of playing for draws under Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum as a part of their 'Bazball' school of cricket, focusing on results, attacking and positive cricket no matter what.
"I think that was the perfect summation of what happened -- a draw that feels like a win. And yet again, this young Indian batting line-up continues to surprise. You expected KL Rahul and Shubman Gill to be the partnership to watch out for, but that stand was broken early in the day. However, India keeps producing warriors every Test match -- this time, it was Washington Sundar who stood tall. Fantastic batting once again. In the end, what we saw was frustration from a team that is used to dominating at home. It's rare to see England settle for a draw twice in the Bazball era. Remember, this is the first time Ben Stokes abandoned his principle of batting first after winning the toss -- and it happened against India. This draw, without any weather intervention, came against India. That says a lot," said Manjrekar.
"India has forced Stokes to rethink his approach and leadership style. What we saw towards the end was a captain frustrated, unaccustomed to such results, and having to fight so hard to secure a favourable outcome. He thought the win was sealed, and finally, I must say, he behaved like a bit of a spoiled kid. After watching Jadeja and Washington bat for hours, both nearing centuries, there was no way India would have accepted his declaration offer. Ben Stokes will regret that moment -- and that frustration only tells you how much this new-age Indian batting line-up has unsettled England throughout the series," he added.
Manjrekar said that the team should now look at Washington as a proper all-rounder, with Jadeja increasingly playing like a batting all-rounder during the series, as he failed to do much with the ball.
He also spoke about how Sundar's performance could keep him at number five in the absence of Rishabh Pant, have India play Dhruv Jurel lower as a keeper-batter and also select Kuldeep Yadav as the third spin option.
"Sundar, on the other hand, has picked up wickets as well -- he is an off-spinner who can easily be selected as a specialist spinner. This changes India's thinking. They would not be considering an extra batter anymore; instead, they might start looking at Kuldeep Yadav for the next Test. That is the impact this partnership has had. Even without Rishabh Pant, India might stick with these two all-rounders to strengthen the batting. Sundar probably stays at number five now. If Dhruv Jurel plays in the next match, he may have to slot in a position lower," he added.
In three Tests of this series so far, Sundar has scored 205 runs in six innings, averaging 51.25, with a century to his name. He has also taken seven wickets in five innings at an average of 35.85, with best figures of 4/22 at Lord's.
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.