Although English captain Ben Stokes wanted to shake hands to conclude the game,Team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has publicly defended his batter’s choice to remain on the crease and reach their hundreds. On Day 4 of the Manchester Test, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill formed a significant partnership that lasted for more than 60 overs after team India lost their opening two wickets with no runs on the scoreboard.
Even though India was not able to win the Test match, it was still expected that the two would work together to get their team a draw. Unfortunately, on Day 4, Rahul and Gill were both dismissed in the opening session of play, and England appeared to be set to win the Test match once more.
To ensure that a draw was the only likely outcome of the match, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar batted for two sessions after striking an over 200-run partnership. In order to avoid putting his bowlers under any further pressure, English captain Ben Stokes ordered the Indian hitters to shake hands in order to terminate the match in a tie before the scheduled time.
Gambhir’s remarks in the press conference
“If someone is batting on 90 and the other is batting on 85, don’t they deserve a hundred?” Gambhir asked during a press conference held after the game. Would they have simply left? Would you not let someone from England score their first Test hundred if they were batting at 90 or 85 and had the chance? He also said. It’s up to them, you see. They are free to play that way if they so choose. The Indian coach added, “I believe both of those guys deserved a hundred, and they got it.”
‘Would they have walked off?’
Gautam Gambhir on India continuing to bat after being offered the draw 🗣️ #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/d1RTN7skwK
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) July 27, 2025
India’s Hopes To Draw The Series Still Alive
India has a chance to draw the series, and the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is still up for grabs thanks to the Indian batting order’s incredible second innings performance. With England leading the series 2-1, the team needed a good result in Manchester. They will now go to London hoping to replicate the scoreline from the previous tour of England, where the home team pulled off a comeback victory to tie the series.
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