Was Ravindra Jadeja Wrong in Not Shaking Hands with Ben Stokes in Manchester Test?

The last day of the 4th Test match between India and England was dramatic. When England took a lead of 311 runs in the first innings, it looked like India are going to lose the match. This was followed by two back-to-back ducks by India's Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan in the second innings. However, captain Shubman Gill and KL Rahul refused to give up. On day four, after losing two consecutive wickets, they held their ground and stayed on the crease for an entire session.

After they were dismissed, the responsibility fell on Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar to save the team, which they did gracefully. It looked like they wanted to save the game for the team. The pitch was not in its best form. The uneven bounce was troubling the batters. Many things were happening around, plus the added pressure of the match was also there.

Ben Stokes Handshake Offer Rejected

The drama happened in the 138th over when both the batters were nearing their century. England captain Ben Stokes went to Jadeja and Sundar to shake hands and call it a game before the beginning of the final hour. However, the England captain was shocked to see the Indian batters saying no to the offer.

A no. of England players gathered around India's batters started putting pressure to call off the game. However, Jadeja kept insisting that it wasn't his decision to stay at the crease. While the England players seemed furious and put pressure on Jadeja, the allrounder was calm and reached the three-figure mark.

Is Ravindra Jadeja Wrong for Not Shaking Hands with Ben Stokes?

England were brilliant with the bat in the Manchester Test. However, their bowlers couldn't get the breakthroughs at crucial moments whenever it was needed. In the second innings, when India came to bat, they were trailing by 311 runs. But the English bowlers could only take four wickets, and the game ended in a draw.

The Manchester Test had reached a point after tea, where the game was headed towards a draw. At that point, both the Indian batters were almost reaching their centuries. Sundar was nearing his maiden Test century. They waited for their moment. However, since the English bowlers were struggling and captain Stokes didn't want to risk injury, he tried to shake hands with the Indian batters.

When Jadeja declined their proposal, most of the players came at him. Well, there is no such rule in cricket that says that if a captain wants to end the game, the opponent has to immediately accept his proposal. Ending the game requires mutual consent, and in this case, leaving a well-deserved century in between wasn't the best option, and Jadeja was smart enough to understand that.

Ben Stokes Unhappy with Indian Team

Captain Ben Stokes was very unhappy with the decision, which he expressed during the post-match press conference. Later, he was asked about the Ravindra Jadeja Ben Stokes incident.

“They both (Washi and Jadeja) played incredibly well, and it got to that point where there was obviously only one result, and there was absolutely no chance I was going to risk any of my big fast bowlers through injuries with one more game to go. Dawsy (Liam Dawson) just bowled so many overs this game, his body started to get a little bit tired and started to cramp up in the legs, so I wasn't risking any of my frontline bowlers for that last half an hour,” Stokes said.

It was quite clear that England were frustrated with the way the match ended. From taking a huge first innings lead, to ending the game in a draw, Stokes and Co. will have to do a lot of homework ahead of the 5th Test match. If India manage to win the fifth match, the series will be levelled.

The draw in Manchester Test will boost the confidence of new captain Shubman Gill and the entire team. It was a brilliant batting effort by India in both the innings. However, India's bowling wasn't up to to the mark. It will be a lesson for the team, and they will aim to come back stronger for the next game.