Media365
The final day of the fourth Test between India and England at Old Trafford delivered an unexpected twist, and the internet loved every bit of it. With India cruising at 386/4, leading by 75 runs, England skipper Ben Stokes casually walked up to Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar and offered a handshake to draw the match. But instead of wrapping things up, the Indian duo politely declined, and social media erupted.
At that point, Jadeja was on 89 not out and Sundar on 80 not out, both eyeing well-deserved centuries after dragging India from 0/2 to safety with a 150-run unbeaten partnership. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Their refusal to end the game early caught Stokes visibly off-guard. He shook his head, muttered a few words, and walked away, bemused and slightly miffed.Fans online instantly picked up on the awkwardness. Memes featuring Stokes’s confused expression.
Stokes responded by bringing Harry Brook on to bowl, and Jadeja, in poetic fashion, lofted him for six to complete his hundred, his third in Tests. It was cricketing theatre, wrapped in grace, grit, and a bit of petty spice. Sundar also completed his maiden Test ton before the match was eventually drawn.Post-match, Shubman Gill backed the decision: “It was up to the boys, but we felt they batted brilliantly. Both of them were in their 90s, and we believed they deserved to get to their centuries.”For a team that’s drawn just two of 40 Tests under the Stokes-McCullum regime, this was unfamiliar territory and perhaps why emotions boiled over. But for fans, it was vintage Test cricket: dramatic, tense, and unexpectedly hilarious. All eyes now turn to the series decider at The Oval.
