'Jadeja, Sundar were in 90s': Shubman Gill justifies ignoring Ben Stokes’ handshake

India National Cricket Team skipper Shubman Gill has backed Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar for refusing to shake hands with Ben Stokes in the Manchester Test to call it a draw.

Shubman Gill-led India National Cricket Team managed to draw the fourth Test of the five-match series against the Ben Stokes-led England National Cricket Team at Old Trafford in Manchester.

Also Read: Ben Stokes issues blistering statement on handshake row in Manchester Test after backlash

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Shubman Gill breaks the silence on the handshake row

The last sessions have been the most interesting ones in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, which have seen some epic moments unfolding in the middle.

The Manchester Test was no different, as the incident that took place between India and England players during the final session of Day 5 became the biggest highlight of the game.

With one hour remaining in the game, Ben Stokes offered a handshake to Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja to call it a draw, as that was the only result possible in the game.

But Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar didn't want the match to end prematurely as they were nearing their tons (Jadeja 89*, and Sundar 80*).

The decision of Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar made sense because hitting an overseas Test ton, particularly in England, is a big thing, and the duo deserved it after bailing India out of trouble. However, Ben Stokes lost his cool after the refusal of a handshake and engaged in an ugly spat with India's all-rounders.

Speaking to Mel Jones during the post-match presentation ceremony, Shubman Gill said that he was proud of the efforts of his team. He asserted:

"Extremely pleased with the batting effort. Past couple of days we were put under tremendous pressure. It's all about taking the wicket out of the equation. Day 5 wicket, something is happening, every ball is kind of an event. Wanted to take it ball by ball and take the game as deep as possible, which is what we spoke about.

While talking about the handshake saga, Shubman Gill backed his players, saying that they were right in rejecting Stokes' request with their tons in sight. He said:

"We thought they (Jadeja and Sundar) batted brilliantly, they were in their 90s, we thought they deserved a century there (about the decision to not shake hands)."

Every time I bat, I want to play my best - Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill further said that he has learnt a lot in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy and added that he wants to give his best with the bat for his country whenever he is in the middle. He said:

"Every match going till the last session on the last day. So many learnings. Each Test match teaches you something different. It has taught us a lot as a group. Hopefully we can win the next match and draw the series.

"Honestly, it doesn't matter how many runs you've scored in the past. Every time you walk wearing the whites of the country, there are some jitters. That tells how much I care playing for the country and how much I love this game. Everytime I bat, I want to play my best and I want to enjoy my batting as much as I can."

Gill recently became the third player after Don Bradman and Sunil Gavaskar to score 700 Test runs in a debut series as skipper, and he currently stands at 722 runs with one game remaining.

Will have to wait and see - Shubman Gill on Jasprit Bumrah's availability

Gill also expressed disappointment over the performance of the Indian batters in the first innings of the Manchester Test, but was satisfied with the way things unfolded in the third innings. When asked about Jasprit Bumrah's participation in the fifth and final Test, Gill said that they are yet to make a final decision. He elaborated:

"In the first innings, we did post a good total. But a lot of our batters did get set. Important on these wickets that if one or two batters if they go deep, they go big. You can really take the game away from the opposition.

"Unfortunately for us in the first innings it didn't happen. We were not able to convert those starts into big ones. But pleased with the way we were able to do that in the second innings. Will have to wait and see (about Bumrah) in the Oval Test match. As long as we're winning the match (at the Oval), I don't really care about the toss."