Ben Stokes still facing heat from Australia over handshake-gate: ‘Everything's got to stop because England are done'

Hindustan Times

7 days ago

The final day of the fourth Test at Manchester between India and England continues to stir debate, not for the quality of cricket but for the drama in the final half-hour. While several former players have offered mixed views on the early handshake initiated by Ben Stokes and England, former Australian cricketer Brad Haddin has come out in strong support of the Indian team's decision to bat on. England's captain Ben Stokes (L) shakes hands with India's Ravindra Jadeja (R) for a draw on day five of the fourth cricket test match between England and India at Old Trafford(AFP)
Appearing on LiSTNR Sport's YouTube channel, Haddin praised the grit and resistance shown by India's batters, particularly Shubman Gill and KL Rahul, who blunted England's attack after being two down for nothing. 'It's interesting at the end of that Test match because India were two for none. So England are up and about. They thought they were going to win the Test. And that was an unbelievable partnership. Gill once again, KL Rahul was outstanding. And as the game went on, and India showed tremendous fight, unbelievable, the application they showed to bat,' Haddin said.
As the match headed into the final hour, with India clearly safe and both Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja closing in on personal landmarks, England made the surprising call to end the match early. Haddin, however, found no fault in India's approach.
'Then, all of a sudden, it got to a situation where England said they can't win, so let's stop the game. So everything's got to stop because England are done playing. I like what India did, mate, they earned the right to stay out there as long as they need to. They had the right to get a hundred,' he added.
The drama began when Ben Stokes approached the crease with an offer to shake hands and call the game a draw, but both Indian batters refused. With five overs left in the day, they chose to continue, chasing personal milestones. What followed was a verbal exchange between the England players and the Indian duo, but both Jadeja and Sundar went on to complete their centuries before eventually agreeing to the draw.
Lloyd opposed India's decision
Not everyone agreed with India's decision. Former England cricketer David Lloyd was particularly scathing. 'There's a facility to end the game. Take the bails off because it's a farce. Would you want to get your (100) if you're on 80, would you want to get your maiden Test match century against law books?' he said on The Overlap. 'I think the umpire, the game, there's a facility in the game to call a stalemate, of which Ben Stokes called the stalemate,' Lloyd added.
But to many, including Haddin, India simply played within the rules and earned the right to stay.