R Ashwin goes nuclear on Ben Stokes, drags legends to shame England captain, exposes handshake hypocrisy

A heated moment unfolded during the final day of the drawn fourth Test when Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja refused to agree to a draw despite England captain Ben Stokes offering to end the game in Manchester on Sunday, July 27.

This move sparked a debate among the fans and cricket experts, and now Ravichandran Ashwin has also shared his perspective on the situation. The former Indian all-rounder pointed out that Jadeja had been batting patiently all day, as he jokingly said that his former teammate played Matthew Hoggard, Darren Gough, and Andrew Flintoff and had gone towards the draw.

Ravichandran Ashwin slams England’s double standards in Manchester Test

Ashwin said that Jadeja handled everything and worked hard to reach a stage where India was safe from defeat, and how can Ben Stokes ask him not to get his well-deserved century after all the grind? After so much effort, the Indian all-rounder was close to scoring a century, and naturally, he didn’t want to walk away without reaching the milestone in Manchester, and Ashwin defended Jadeja's call.

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Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, “Have you heard a term called double standards? What are double standards? You (Ben Stokes) are saying that you are frustrated. You also don't make 100. You also cry and leave. How is this possible? Boss, he has worked hard since morning and reached here. Should he leave before making 100?”

At that stage, England was bowling part-timer Harry Brook, and both Jadeja and Washington Sundar were nearing milestones. England players questioned if it was fair to score centuries against a non-regular bowler, Harry Brook, and Ashwin slammed the hosts for their tactic in Manchester.

Ravichandran Ashwin slams Ben Stokes, defends Ravindra Jadeja-Washington Sundar in century drama

He added, “No, boss. He has to make a 100. Please bring Steve Harmison. Bring Andrew Flintoff. He has not refused. You are bowling, Harry Brook. It is your mistake. It is not our mistake. What is the rule? If both captains believe that the game cannot head towards a result, you both can shake hands and call it a draw on mandatory overs. But here India was not ready at that point.”

Ashwin pointed out that Ben Stokes was frustrated and eager to wrap up the match to avoid tiring out his bowlers or simply because they couldn't get the result they wanted in the fourth Test against India. He slammed the England captain for attempting to stop Jadeja and Sundar from reaching their ton.

Ashwin felt that the Indian cricket team had every right to play on, and had it been up to him, he would have used up all the remaining overs against England. The former Indian all-rounder also mentioned how Zak Crawley was saying, ‘Is this how you want to get a 100? You should have batted faster to get a 100’.

Read Also: Gautam Gambhir attacks Ben Stokes over disgraceful handshake act, exposes England's double standards

They were withing rules: Ravichandran Ashwin

He slammed Crawley by saying it is the Indian players’ wish, as it was their game. The CSK star noted that if the Englishman wants to make it fast, he must play his game but can’t order anyone to do anything, especially when the players are playing within the rules.

Ashwin signed off by saying, “He wanted to close out. There are two reasons. He didn't want to tire his bowlers out. Secondly, he was like, I am frustrated; I am not happy. So, you should also not be happy. You should also not make 100. These are test runs. They want to get it and deserve it. As a captain, I would have said play all the 15 overs."

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