Ben Stokes has been slammed for his reaction to Jadeja and Sundar refusing his handshake for draw.
Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel weighed in on the handshake controversy that erupted during the fourth Test between India and England, raising an intriguing question asking if England would have accepted the handshake to draw from the opposition had one of their batters, Ben Duckett, for example, been batting on 90.
After India put up a valiant effort to draw the match, supported by a tenacious, undefeated 203-run partnership between Ravindra Jadeja (107*) and Washington Sundar (101*), the incident occurred late on Day 5.
When a draw seemed certain, England captain Ben Stokes went over to shake hands with the Indian pair, ending the match. But when they approached 100, Sundar and Jadeja chose to pursue their own milestones, with Sundar on 80 and Jadeja on 89.
This irked the England players and Ben Stokes, who resorted to bullying Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, pressuring them to shake hands. Stokes got petty and gave the ball to Harry Brook, who bowled slow full tosses, which were deposited to the boundary by Jadeja on his way to his century.
Sundar also completed his maiden century, and only then, Jadeja and he shake hands with the officials and England players as India made 425/4 despite conceding a 311-run lead in the first innings and drew the match.
The banter during the last hour reflected the English camp’s exhaustion, frustration, and helplessness, especially after having squandered a golden opportunity to seal the series.
"England did things their own way. Their effort was clear—they wanted to bowl India out and win the game. But when they realized that wasn't possible, they put their weapons down and acknowledged that India had played very well.
But when they realized that wasn't possible, they put their weapons down and acknowledged that India had played very well,” Parthiv said during his appearance on JioHotstar.
He went on to commend India’s resolve and their batters’ determined display.
"At the same time, India did what they wanted to do in their own way—two players worked really hard, batted brilliantly, and both deserved to score centuries," he said, referring to Jadeja and Sundar's gritty effort.
To refute the myth of the "spirit of the game" and expose England at their own game, Parthiv then put up a hypothetical question.
“The only question I have is this: if Ben Duckett had been batting on 90 in the same situation and the opposition offered a handshake, would England have accepted it? I am very curious to know this, especially with so many talking about the 'spirit of the game,'" he said.
The former wicketkeeper also argued that India had every right to carry on and that the match still had meaningful cricket left in it.
"In my opinion, the game should have continued till the end of the day, even if the Indian batters completed their centuries. If 15 overs were still left, India should have batted because they worked extremely hard," Parthiv stressed.
Parthiv pointed to how quickly the momentum had shifted, recalling how dangerous the situation looked the day before.
"Before lunch on Day 4, when two wickets fell, it looked like India could lose the Test on Day 5. But from that point on, batting through 143 overs is an incredible effort. So, I believe what India did was absolutely right—though personally, I feel they could have batted a bit more," he said.
The series remains alive at 1-2, with the fifth and final Test scheduled to begin at The Oval on July 31.