The just-finished fourth Test between England and India at Old Trafford has been the center of a heated controversy in the world of cricket, after England captain Ben Stokes made a controversial request for an early draw, a proposal resolutely turned down by Indian batsmen Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. What happened in the last session of the match has not only split opinion but also raised questions regarding the spirit, strategy, and ethos of Test cricket.
The Incident: A Draw in the Air, Centuries in Sight
With the series hanging in the balance and India having repelled England’s bowlers up to the fifth day, the visitors were placed at 425/4 largely due to the heroic stand of Jadeja (on 89*) and Sundar (on 80*). With 15 overs remaining and an impossible result, Stokes went up to the umpires and the two Indian batsmen, suggesting a handshake to abandon the game as a draw. But Jadeja and Sundar, immensely close to Test centuries, rejected the suggestion and decided to stay on and bat.
Frustration came to a boil in the England camp. Stokes, and his teammates such as Harry Brook and Ben Duckett, were loudly sarcastic, captured on the stump mic taunting, “Do you want a hundred against Harry Brook?” and “If you wanted a hundred, you should’ve batted like it earlier.” England took their frontline bowlers off, introducing part-timers such as Brook and Joe Root to bowl, and the field became unenthusiastic.
In spite of the needle, both Jadeja and Sundar managed their centuries, and this led India to accept finally the draw—a choice that saw tempers subside but not the deluge of opinions that ensued.
The Views: Sportsmanship, Rule of Law, and Milestone Hunting
The incident has strongly polarised players, pundits, and supporters. Stokes subsequently justified that he wished to save his bowlers’ workloads prior to the last Test since victory for either team was unattainable. He claimed that drawing was a certainty, thus continuing was redundant, saying, “I was never going to risk my front-line bowlers … it was always going to be a handshake”. Most of England’s camp were frustrated and labeled India’s move unnecessary prolongation and even “classless”.
It was from the Indian camp, and large portions of the cricket world, that a different perspective came. Batting out a whole day to deserve a draw after being on the back foot was considered a hard-earned privilege, particularly after such a resilient partnership. Indian skipper Shubman Gill justified the pair, stating “A Test hundred is a Test hundred”, reiterating the belief that individual contributions count greatly in cricket’s longest form. Opponents of Stokes’ appeal accused him of moral gesturing, noting that the rules allow for continuing playing as long as both captains don’t unanimously decide to stop the match.
Iconic voices such as Sanjay Manjrekar and Monty Panesar went so far as to call Stokes’ gesture “spoiled” and “classless,” while several analysts noted that Test cricket is played by the letter of the law, not personal code. Jadeja and Sundar’s choice to continue, in their turn, was commended for grit and for maintaining the sanctity of Test milestones.
The Broader Significance of the Debate
This match has prompted a wide-ranging reappraisal of how cricket negotiates tradition, competitiveness, and the unspoken code of sportsmanship. While it highlighted tensions, it also reinforced Test cricket’s abiding drama and why a draw, hard-won, is a prize worth fighting for.
As feelings calm, the “handshake-gate” is still a clear reminder: in cricket’s theatre, each run and gesture can create waves well beyond the boundary.
