Ben Stokes was visibly annoyed on the last day at Old Trafford when Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar declined his offer to shake hands and settle for a draw. They wanted to get their own centuries instead. India was safe with a lead of 75 and Stokes was looking to wrap up the game which had no bearing on the series but the two Indian batsmen kept going.
This caused different reactions. Sanjay Manjrekar called Stokes a spoilt brat but Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir defended the players’ right to go for personal milestones. But Kevin Pietersen saw it differently.
Two days of fielding and no chance of a win – you WANT to get off the field! You can’t criticise Ben Stokes for being frustrated. It’s easy to judge him when you’re sitting comfortably watching on TV. You’re not out there battling. Let the players in the game feel what they feel, Pietersen posted on X.
He pointed out how much England had toiled, bowling 143 overs in India’s second innings and 114.1 overs in the first. Stokes was also dealing with a shoulder problem.
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This is the ongoing conflict in cricket between team goals and individual success. Pietersen’s support for the players’ emotions defends a competitor’s raw feelings while India’s focus on milestones puts personal ambition on display in a team sport.
India Fights For Pride In A Meaningless Game
In the match, England responded strongly to India’s first innings score of 358 by scoring 669, with centuries from Ben Stokes and Joe Root. India’s second innings started poorly but KL Rahul and Shubman Gill put up a good fight with a 188 run partnership.
After they were out, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar batted determinedly and got an unbroken 203 run partnership to save the game. Now the series is still alive at 2-1 as they head into the final Test at The Oval which starts on July 31.
