Jadeja and Sundar, approaching their tons, refused to shake hands with Stokes to end the game.
Drama unfolded during the fourth India versus England Test in Manchester on Sunday (July 27) after Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar rejected Ben Stokes' proposal to settle for a draw an hour ahead of the stipulated time.
At the time, Jadeja was batting on 89, 11 short of his fifth Test century, while Sundar was on 80, 20 away from his maiden Test ton.
India’s decision to carry on batting left the England skipper irked. Stokes walked towards Jadeja and threw verbal jabs, questioning whether he truly wanted to score a Test hundred against Harry Brook.
As it turned out, Stokes actually introduced part-timer Brook into the attack and deployed Joe Root from the other end. Both Jadeja and Sundar capitalised on the soft bowling, racing to their centuries and then deciding to call it off.
After the game, former England captain Alastair Cook weighed in on the controversy and backed Indian all-rounders’ decision to continue batting.
“It was the right decision for them to carry on, for the momentum they’re getting from it. When you’re out in the field for 140 overs, you get frustrated. It’s a little bit of frustration for England, but I understand why India do it.” Cook said on BBC Sport.
“Five years down the line, you look at the scorecard, you see two brilliant hundreds to save the game—plus obviously Gill’s as well—so it will be forgotten about Harry Brook's 37-mile-an-hour ball,” he added.
England were left ruing a missed opportunity to secure victory and an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series, despite holding a huge first innings lead of 311 runs at Old Trafford.
India, meanwhile, will take confidence into the final Test at The Oval in London, starting on July 31. They are currently 1-2 behind in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy but have a golden opportunity to draw the series in the finale.