The incident happened on the fifth day of the fourth England vs India Test.
Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has criticised England skipper Ben Stokes for requesting India for a draw on day five of the fourth Test in Manchester on Sunday.
India were 386/4 after 138 overs in their second innings, and this was also a time when Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja were closing in on their centuries. Not long after, Stokes approached the Indian duo requesting for a draw.
“You want to get a Test hundred against Harry Brook?”, asked the Durham cricketer. Jadeja, however, stood his ground and insisted that they play further. Both Sundar and Jadeja eventually got to their centuries, soon after which the match was declared as a draw. India finished their innings at 425/4, with a lead of 114 runs.
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Ashwin took a dig at Stokes, saying that he should have asked his bowlers to bowl underam, like former Australia cricketer Greg Chappell had done before. In the final hour on the fifth day, both Harry Brook and Joe Root were bowling in tandem.
“I am actually disappointed. He (Ben Stokes) should have asked his bowlers to bowl underarm like Greg Chappell. It would have looked nice. Please don’t talk about the spirit of cricket, sportsmanship. This is ridiculous,” Ashwin commented, while speaking on his YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat.
“What is the rule? If both captains believe the game cannot head towards a result, they can agree to a draw. One captain wanted to close it out. Why? First, he didn’t want to tire his bowlers. Second, ‘I am frustrated. You should also not be happy.’ The second point isn’t in the rules. According to the first point, India was right. If I were captain, I would have played all 15 overs,” he added.
During the incident, Zak Crawley was heard saying: “If you wanted 100, you should have batted quicker.” Ashwin slammed Crawley’s comments and termed the draw as an “Indian win”.
“Zak Crawley told him, ‘If you wanted 100, you should have batted quicker.’ That’s his choice. You want quick runs and get out at 70? That’s your game. Zak Crawley or Ben Stokes, if you were batting, would you leave your hundred for the ‘spirit of the game’? I feel like laughing. It’s crazy. That’s why I say this isn’t a draw, it’s an Indian win,” explained the Tamil Nadu cricketer.
Both Washington and Jadeja, however, scored their centuries and India finished their innings with a score of 425/4 in their second innings. Heading into their second innings, India were trailing England by 311 runs.
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The visitors found themselves two down in the first over following the dismissals of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan. India were once again in a spot of bother at 222/4 after Shubman Gill’s (103) wicket, but Washington and Jadeja forged an unbeaten 203-run stand for the fifth wicket. The two teams eventually agreed for a draw after the 143rd over.
England lead the series 2-1 with one more Test left to play. The fifth and final Test will get underway from Thursday (July 31) and will take place at The Oval.
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