The fourth Test between India and England ended in a draw, and with that, it sparked a lot of controversy ahead of the final showdown of the series. As the match neared its conclusion and both Indian batsmen, Jadeja and Sundar, were in their 80s, the English captain offered to draw the match. However, the duo refused the offer as they were nearing their centuries. Following that, Stokes handed the ball to Harry Brook, who doesn’t even play as a part-time bowler.

Stokes had a few things to say, as Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett were also seen questioning India’s decision to continue batting.

"Do you want to score a hundred against Harry Brook?" Stokes asked sarcastically, to which Jadeja simply replied, "I can't do anything."

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, 2025

Maintaining his composure with a smile, Jadeja stood his ground, calmly reminding them that India, as per the rules, were well within their rights to continue batting.

Handshake Controversy Sparks Social Media Debate

England captain Ben Stokes found himself in the eye of a social media storm after Day 4 of the Manchester Test, with fans accusing him of being “salty” and even calling him a “crybaby” over his on-field demeanour.

Although the innings ended with both teams shaking hands, social media erupted with claims that Stokes didn’t shake hands with Jadeja and Washington after the match. However, multiple videos from different angles later emerged, showing that Stokes was, in fact, the first to shake hands with the Indian batsmen after the final ball was bowled.

Yesterday whole Indian cricket twitter was abusing Stokes for not shaking hands with Jadeja including @CricketopiaCom this is common sense to shake hands with your opposition team https://t.co/5BVtUF5W2V

— ଈଶ୍ବର (ESWAR) (@Eswar560) July 28, 2025

The drama didn’t end on the pitch. As the match concluded, social media erupted with allegations that Stokes refused to shake hands with Jadeja and Sundar — a move many interpreted as poor sportsmanship. One user wrote, “Ben Stokes couldn’t handle a little rejection. India said ‘no’ to his draw offer, and he had a full-blown ego meltdown. Skipped the handshake with Jadeja… he was that hurt! Come on, Ben… don’t be salty, be sporty.”

Others chimed in with similar sentiments:

“Seriously Ben Stokes???? No handshake??”
“What a crybaby. A Test hundred is always special, yrrr.”
“Stokes should be grateful Jadeja and Washi walked off after scoring centuries. Virat Kohli would’ve batted the full 15 overs if crybaby Ben pulled this nonsense on him.”

Stokes Praises Jadeja And Sundar’s Grit

While the Englishmen didn’t acknowledge the gritty knocks of Jadeja and Sundar on the field, Stokes later praised them during the press conference, saying, “The knock that those two played was very, very good.”

When both Jadeja and Sundar were on 80 and 89 respectively, Stokes offered a draw, but the duo declined as Washington was close to his first century in the longest format of the game. According to the English captain, however, 10 more runs weren’t going to change the outcome of the match, which was already heading toward a draw.

"The situation that India found themselves in there, with us opening the game slightly, that partnership was massive. You hold your hands up, they played incredibly, incredibly well. And I don't think there would've been too much more satisfaction from walking off a hundred not out, getting your team out of a tricky situation, than walking off at 80, 90 not out. That's what you've done for your team. You know, the 10 more runs or whatever it was ain't gonna change the fact that you've managed to get your team out of a very, very, very tricky situation and almost saved your team from a series defeat before the last game," said Stokes to the journalists.

'Ten more runs wasn't going to change the fact that you've managed to get your team out of a very, very tricky situation' 🗣️

Ben Stokes on that massive Jadeja-Washi partnership 🤝 #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/pnDrRw8pYn

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) July 28, 2025

Stokes’ Criticism and Removal of Frontline Bowlers

Stokes’ decision to offer a draw was criticized by several players and broadcasters, but he defended himself with logic and facts. He argued that the extra runs wouldn’t have affected the result and explained that once the draw became inevitable, he removed his frontline bowlers from the attack.

#WATCH | #INDvsENG Fourth Test | Manchester, UK | On extending a 'handshake' to end the match in a draw, England Men's Test captain Ben Stokes says, "... As soon as it got to that point where the draw was inevitable, I was never going to risk any of my front-line bowlers with the… pic.twitter.com/PznNFziFna

— ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2025

"I think we took the game as far as we could with our frontline bowlers to take it as far as we could to think like we've got a real chance of still winning this game. But as soon as it got to that point where it was the draw's inevitable here, I was never going to risk any of my frontline bowlers with the short turnaround that we have and the workload that we've got through this week and throughout the series as well. So yeah, as soon as, you know, the 15 overs or last hour was there, it was always going to be a shake hands."

‘Would They Have Walked Off?’

Indian coach Gautam Gambhir backed his players and raised a pointed question: if someone from the opposition was batting on 90, would they have accepted the draw?

“If someone's batting on 90 and another on 85, don't they deserve their centuries? Would England have walked off if their own players were close to milestones? No. Our boys weathered the storm. They earned those tons. We're not here to please anyone,” Gautam Gambhir said at the post-match PC.

Nasser Hussain Sides With Indian Duo

The criticism of the English captain wasn’t limited to the Indian camp. Former England captain Nasser Hussain also weighed in, stating that he had no issues with the call made by Jadeja and Sundar, and that both deserved to be at the crease until the end.

“I didn’t have a problem with it. England did. They had tired bowlers and tired legs and wanted to get off but the two lads had worked hard to get into the 80s and 90s and wanted hundreds,” said Hussain to Sky Sports.

Naseer Husaain spitting facts.
Jadeja and Washington sundar.#INDvENG #stokes #jadeja#INDvsENGTestpic.twitter.com/NsLWS1hqnC

— Tejs (@tejas__45) July 27, 2025

“Stokes didn’t have to bowl Harry Brook and it looked a bit silly but we make too much of these things. India deserved the draw and Washington and Jadeja deserved to be there at the end,” he added.