IND vs ENG | Shubman Gill on handshake controversy - 'They deserved the centuries'

It was a Test without any drama, but it ended on a sour note.

At the beginning of the final hour, Ben Stokes offered to shake hands and call it a draw. The Indian batsmen, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, declined. It left Ben Stokes and the England players quite furious.


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Having worked hard to earn a creditable draw, Jadeja and Washington — batting on 89 and 80 respectively — flatly refused Stokes' offer after he had approached the umpire, which irked the England skipper no end.

With both approaching their hundreds after having saved the match, they exercised their rights to continue batting.

Stokes had a few words to say, as Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett were also seen enquiring why India wanted to carry on.

"Do you want to score a hundred against Harry Brook?" Stokes asked sarcastically, and all Jadeja said was, "I can't do anything."

A smiling Jadeja maintained his grace and calmly brushed off the comments, as India, as per the rules, were well within their rights to continue batting.


In what seemed like a mark of protest, Stokes introduced Harry Brook into the attack, and Jadeja hit him for a six to complete his third Test hundred.

At the post-match presentation, when asked about the drama, captain Shubman Gill calmly said:
"It was up to the boys, but we felt they batted brilliantly. Both of them were in their 90s, and we believed they deserved to get to their centuries."

England have drawn only two of their 40 Tests under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. The first, against Australia on this ground two years ago, was due to almost two days of rain. This is a new experience for the team, which may partly explain why they were so grouchy towards the end.

The fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy will start on July 31 at The Oval.


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