A draw that felt like a win. India pulled off one of the most remarkable escapes in Test history as KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar stood tall against England’s bowling attack to secure a dramatic draw in the 4th Test at Manchester. With this result, India stay alive in the five-match series, trailing 1-2 with the final match set to take place at The Oval in three days.
England dominated most of the match after bowling India out for 358 in the first innings and then amassing 669, powered by centuries from Ben Stokes and Joe Root. But their decision to bat on and stretch the lead to 311 instead of declaring earlier may have cost them the Test – and possibly the series.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar didn’t mince his words while analyzing England’s approach, calling out what he saw as “hypocrisy” and poor decision-making from Ben Stokes’ side.
“Did England Bat Too Long?” Gavaskar Asks
Reacting to the Test match on Sony Sports Network, Gavaskar lauded India’s grit and resilience while taking a dig at England’s tactics. “Satisfied? I am proud. I am enormously proud of this team for what they have done. Just four wickets [fell]. Whatever the pitch might have been – good pitch, flat pitch – whatever it is, they stuck around there under pressure. The question can be asked: Did England bat too long before they declared?” said Gavaskar.
Referring to comments made by English players after the second Test at Birmingham, Gavaskar recalled their bold claims of chasing down any target: “When India gave England 600-plus runs to chase at Birmingham, some of the England players who came out for the press conference said ‘India were scared, and that’s why they gave us 600 runs’. But I also remember reading somewhere earlier on when England were in India ‘Give us 600 runs. We will chase anything.’ That’s what India did, but you ended up 336 runs short. So that is just bravado, a little bit of loud talk,” he added.
“Shubman Gill Should Have Asked Tough Questions” – Gavaskar
Gavaskar also expressed disappointment that Shubman Gill didn’t take the opportunity to throw England’s own words back at them in the press conference.
“Shubman Gill… if he is at the media conference… I would like him to ask, ‘Why did you take a lead of 311? Why were you not happy with a lead of 240? Or 250? After you [Ben Stokes] got his hundred, why did you not declare and give your bowlers a little extra hour to try and get other wickets? I know he won’t ask. He is too nice a guy. He is not this SG. That SG is different. But this SG would have 100 percent asked. And I am asking now,” said Gavaskar.
India’s Grit Keeps Series Alive
India’s second innings effort was defined by KL Rahul and Shubman Gill’s rock-solid stand, followed by a gritty knock from Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Losing just four wickets in more than five sessions, India turned the tide of a game that had appeared lost.
The teams now head to London for the final Test at The Oval. A win for India will level the series 2-2 and give them immense confidence heading into the World Test Championship cycle.
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