England are leading the five-match series 2-1 with one Test remaining.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra urged the scrapping of the Lord’s Honours Board after England captain Ben Stokes showed an anti-milestone stance towards individual milestones during the Manchester Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
India had their moments in the two Tests but failed to win decisive situations despite leading session charts. All four Tests in the series have ended on the final day.
ESM
–
SPE
–
TWI
–
SPE
–
ESM
–
WEY
–
WEY
–
TWI
–
ESM
–
TWI
–
BAN
–
TWI
–
WEY
–
TWI
–
BAN
–
SPE
–
SPE
–
WEY
–
BAN
–
WEY
–
BCC
–
91YC
–
NAJC
–
GUG
–
NVR
–
CCC
–
GUG
–
91YC
–
ENG
–
IND
–
RTZ
–
KGC
–
TCC
–
JJ
–
STCC
–
FEK
–
ALECC
–
CEC-A
–
ZIM
–
NZ
–
WI
–
PAK
–
BAD
–
ASS
–
SGT
–
BDS
–
WIU19-W
–
USAU19-W
–
BRB-W
–
SUR-W
–
PNC
–
IAC
–
SAC
–
AAC
–
With an hour left to the end of Day 5, when both batters, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, were in their 80s, England’s skipper asked to draw the match. But the Indian batters didn’t accept his request before completing their hundreds. The Indian pair’s decision irked some in the England camp, including former batter Jonathan Trott. It witnessed an on-field heated exchange sparked by Ben Stokes with Jadeja, leading to sledging from English players.
ALSO READ:
The controversy has taken a new twist. In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Chopra has questioned whether England’s long-standing tradition of honouring individual milestones is itself a contradiction. He suggested that if individual milestones like hundreds and five-fors don’t matter anymore, perhaps England should remove their honours boards altogether.
“If you feel these milestones are nonsense, remove the honours boards. Is it nonsense that you celebrate so much? It’s not written on the honours board whether the hundred came in a winning or losing cause or in the mandatory overs,” he said.
Chopra questioned why the England captain is denying Jadeja and Sundar personal landmarks – especially when such milestones are celebrated by English cricket itself.
Both Indian batters notched up their hundreds before drawing the curtains by shaking hands with England. Jadeja remained unbeaten on 107 off 185 balls, while Sundar remained not out on 101 from 206 deliveries. Their 203-run stand proved instrumental in one of India’s greatest escapes in Test cricket to avoid defeat and keep the series alive. Notably, India played out nearly five sessions and 143 runs in their second innings.
England are leading the five-match series 2-1 with one Test remaining. The fourth Test at Old Trafford resulted in a draw, with only 2.5 innings being played across five days. The series will be decided in the fifth and final Test, which will be played at The Oval from July 31.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
