Gautam Gambhir attacks Ben Stokes over disgraceful handshake act, exposes England's double standards
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Indian coach Gautam Gambhir has issued a bold statement on the controversy between the sides due to a 'handshake' offer from English skipper Ben Stokes when Indian all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar were both at the brink of their hundreds.
India were under immense pressure as they stepped out at Old Trafford. The venue has not had a very respectful position in Indian Test history, and India was playing in a do-or-die game at the venue where they hadn't won a single match.
India struggled in the first innings as well, as they were bowled out for just 358 runs, while England batted fluently on the same tracks and amassed 669 runs, posing a trail of 311 runs in front of the visitors. The match was thrown further into doubt with Chris Woakes' double-strike in the first over of the second innings.
Gautam Gambhir slams Ben Stokes on 'handshake' row
England skipper Ben Stokes offered to end the match in a draw with 15 overs remaining, as he felt the match was not going to meet any desired end. However, for India, they had their two batters, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, both standing at the brink of their hundreds.
Indian players decided not to accept the handshake for that instance, which displeased Ben Stokes. However, Indian coach Gautam Gambhir has clearly backed the decision of his players, calling out whether Stokes or England would have left the field under such a scenario.
“If someone's batting on 90 and another on 85, don't they deserve their centuries? Would England have walked off if their own players were close to milestones? No. Our boys weathered the storm. They earned those tons. We're not here to please anyone,” said Gautam Gambhir.
The knock that those two played was very, very good - Ben Stokes breaks silence on 'handshake' row
Ben Stokes wanted Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar to shake hands and end the match early out of hopelessness for any possible conclusion to the game. However, the batters were denied as they were nearing their individual hundreds.
The English skipper has defended his action and voiced praise for the Indian batters. After they looked at targeting their hundreds, Stokes offered Harry Brook to bowl some overs, a player not known even as a part-timer in the side.
"The knock that those two played was very, very good," Stokes said after the match, despite having not praised them on the field.
Shubman Gill reveals whose decision was not to accept the handshake offer
The Indian skipper Shubman Gill has also come forward to praise India's batting performance under pressure on Day 4 and Day 5 of the fourth Test. He has credited Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar for their knocks and said that they deserved those hundreds, revealing it was on them to continue or to end the game.
“Definitely, it was up to the boys, but we thought they batted brilliantly,” Gill said in the post-match presentation.
The Indian skipper himself broke a 35-year record at Manchester. He turned the first Indian batter since Sachin Tendulkar (1990) to have scored a Test century at this venue. Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar eventually joined the tally with individual hundreds as well.
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India National Cricket Team England National Cricket Team India vs England Gautam Gambhir Ben Stokes Shubman Gill Ravindra Jadeja Washington Sundar
