India captain Shubman Gill backed veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja's decision not to accept England skipper Ben Stokes' offer to call off the match before the start of the mandatory overs during the fourth Test match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester.
The incident happened on Day 5 of the fourth Test match in Manchester when Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar's stand eliminated England's win, Ben Stokes to the Indian batters and offered the draw before the last hour’s play was to start. But with Jadeja and Washington batting on 89 and 80, the Indians didn’t take the offer from Stokes and chose to continue batting. There is a provision that allows both captains to shake hands and agree to a draw if they feel that the possibility of a result is impossible.
"It was up to the boys in the middle, they batted brilliantly, in the 90s, they deserved the centuries" Said Shubman Gill during post match presentation.
Stokes had a few words to say as Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett were also seen enquiring as to why India wanted to carry on.
"Do you want to score a hundred against Harry Brook?" Stokes asked sarcastically and all Jadeja said was "I can't do anything."
After that, Jadeja maintained his grace and ticked them off as India, as per the rules, were well within their rights to carry on batting. In response, it seemed like England were doing some sort of protest as Stokes introduced Harry Brook into the attack and Jadeja hit him for a six to complete his third Test hundred.
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However, the England team's poor attitude was at the forefront as they started bowling proverbial long hops or "donkey drops" as a mark of protest.
Coming back to the fourth Test match, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar smashed unbeaten centuries as the fourth Test ended in a draw. England are currently leading 2-1, and the upcoming Test match will be India's last hope to draw the series. The fifth Test match will take place from 31 July to 4 August at The Oval in London.