Washington Sundar, who witnessed the situation firsthand, said that incidents like this frequently occur in sports, particularly when there is a lot on the line.
A number of cricket players from both teams became agitated during the intense competition during the just finished five-match Test series between England and India. Since neither team deserved to lose, the series concluded 2-2 as a result of the two sides not giving each other an inch.
Towards the close of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester, Ben Stokes shook hands with Ravindra Jadeja and asked the Indian team to accept a draw. This was one of the many tense moments that arose during the series.
But as Washington Sundar and Jadeja approached their individual hundreds, the former chose to keep batting and did not shake hands with the England captain.
Stokes was upset about this because he said some contentious things to the Indian pair. Zak Crawley added some combative comments as well. After Jadeja scored a century against the part-timer, Stokes asked him if he would be happy and brought Harry Brook into the attack. After scoring their hundreds, Jadeja and Sundar decided to accept a draw.
“After all, that simply occurs in any sport, isn’t it? Such incidents have occurred frequently in many sports, not just cricket. That’s just the nature of sport. It evokes a great deal. To be honest, I believe it was only an experience for all of us,” Washington Sundar said to Wisden.
However, Washington Sundar acknowledged that the event gave the Indian team a boost and was a big reason why the visitors were able to draw the series. The team captained by Shubman Gill avoided a series loss by winning the fifth and final Test match at The Oval by a margin of six runs.
“100%. That’s exactly what you would hear if you asked any player this question. You want to be challenged because that’s what you anticipate every single day, especially in Test cricket. And the only thing that will enable you to overcome adversity and emerge victorious is to have a strong mental toughness,” Washington Sundar continued.
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