'2 Brilliant Hundreds Will Be Remembered, Not Brook's 37mph Ball': Legend Calls Out England's Manchester Farce
The 4th Test in Manchester will be remembered for the fightback shown by India after being pushed into a corner by England. Aiming for an unassailable lead in the five-match series, England did everything right – from winning the toss and keeping India to 358-all out to posting a mammoth 669 in reply. They then took a giant step towards winning the contest by getting rid of two India batters for 0. From 0/2 and trailing by 311 runs, India showed grit and determination to save the contest and ensure it ended in a draw. Shubman Gill (103) and KL Rahul (90) stabilised the innings after the early jolts before Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar struck centuries to seal the fate.
However, the spotlight seems to have been stolen, for now, by England venting their frustration at India not accepting Ben Stokes' handshake for a premature draw. With the play entering the final hour and two well-set India batters facing almost no trouble from the English bowlers, Stokes offered to end the game early, but Jadeja and Sundar refused.
An irritated Stokes took a dig and asked if Jadeja will be like scoring hundred against the bowling of part-timers Harry Brook and Ben Duckett. Later, the England Test captain doubled down on his reaction claiming that 10-11 extra runs wouldn't have taken away anything from the superlative efforts of Jadeja and Sundar.
'It was the right decision for them to carry on for the momentum they'll gain from it. When you're out on the field, when you have been out there for 140 overs, you get frustrated. So there's a little bit of frustration for England," Cook said on BBC Sport.
The contest was reduced to a farce by England with Harry Brook tossing up lollipops with no intention to land the ball in the right spots. Cook said in few years, the world will only remember the brilliant centuries scored by Indian batters to save the contest and not what Brook did when asked to bowl.
'I understand why India did it. Five years down the line, you look at the scorecard, you'll see two brilliant hundreds to save the game. Plus, Shubman Gill's as well. So, it will be forgotten about Harry Brook's 37mph ball," he said.
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