Ben Stokes acted like a spoilt kid: Pundits slam him over Manchester draw drama
Stokes was visibly disappointed when India opted to carry on. He approached Jadeja and threw verbal jabs, questioning whether he truly wanted to score a Test hundred against the likes of Harry Brook and Ben Duckett.Scored a hundred, saved the Test, farmed aura! #RavindraJadeja didn't hesitate, till the end #ENGvIND 5th TEST | Starts THU, 31st July, 2:30 PM | Streaming on JioHotstar! pic.twitter.com/cc3INlS07P— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 27, 2025The implication was clear - Stokes had no intention of using his frontline bowlers and instead introduced part-timer Brook into the attack. From the other end, England deployed Joe Root.Both Jadeja and Sundar capitalised on the soft bowling, racing to their centuries. Brook even attempted to shake hands after Jadeja reached his hundred in the 141st over with a towering six. However, India continued to bat, giving Sundar the opportunity to reach his own milestone before accepting the draw.Brook looked somewhat foolish as he delivered gentle full tosses, which Jadeja duly dispatched en route to a well-earned century. India eventually declared at 425 for 4, having recovered from a dire start at 0 for 2. Centuries from Gill, Jadeja and Sundar helped India claw their way back and salvage a draw from the jaws of defeat, having batted across five sessions to save the Test and keep the series alive.MANJREKAR DISAPPOINTED WITH STOKESadvertisement"One thing is being unhappy that the batters haven't walked off and that he has to bowl his overworked main bowlers. But throwing lollipops and showing a bit of grumpiness - that was Ben Stokes behaving like a spoilt kid," Manjrekar told JioHotstar."I can understand him being surprised that India wanted to continue. 'If you wanted to get a hundred, why didn't you get it against the main bowlers?' - that was his grievance. But everything won't always go your way. He should have handled it better."Ben Stokes, the hero and the champion that I admire, on that occasion behaved like a spoilt kid," he added.The trio of Stokes, Brook and Zak Crawley continued chatting to the Indian batters in the middle, but Jadeja and Sundar remained composed, keeping their focus firmly on reaching their deserved hundreds.Jadeja and Sundar had come together after Shubman Gill was dismissed just after reaching his hundred on the stroke of lunch. The pair denied England another wicket for the remainder of the day, batting through two full sessions. Both displayed remarkable composure and resilience, seemingly waiting for the final hour to accelerate and complete their centuries.advertisementDID STOKES REFUSE HANDSHAKE WITH JADJEA?Manjrekar also noted that Stokes did not shake hands with Jadeja after the match, which angered the Indian all-rounder."After the match, Jadeja went to shake hands with Ben Stokes. Ben was still furious. During the earlier exchange, Jadeja handled it very well - he was smiling. But when Stokes didn't shake hands, that's when Jadeja lost his cool. Until then, he had kept his composure," Manjrekar said.England were left ruing a missed opportunity to secure victory, despite having posted 669 runs in their first innings and holding a commanding 311-run lead.India, meanwhile, will take confidence into the final Test at The Oval in London, starting on 31 July. They still trail 1-2 in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy but have a golden opportunity to draw the series in the finale.- EndsTune InMust Watch
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