Trisha Ghosal in Manchester
We’ve witnessed a Test series that has been nothing short of a cinematic thriller so far. The momentum has swayed between two evenly matched sides, and the contest has been nothing less than exhilarating. But time and again, when things haven’t gone their way, England have shown a tendency to behave like the proverbial “my bat, my rules” child. There’s always been an air about English cricket, “We invented the game, so we know best.” And whenever something happens against their liking, the reaction is often petty, leaving a bitter aftertaste.
The Umpire’s Call Saga at Edgbaston
England won the toss and chose to bowl first. KL Rahul, in what was his only failure of the series so far, was dismissed early. Chris Woakes was in rhythm and had two strong appeals turned down in the morning session. Ben Stokes opted for DRS on both occasions, but the decisions stayed with India, umpire’s call, with the ball just clipping the stumps.
At the press conference after the day’s play, most of the questions centred around those reviews. Woakes admitted, “We could easily have had them 30 for three. It was a pretty frustrating morning. Emotions were running high. It’s more the fact that had those decisions gone our way, the day looks completely different. There’s probably been a few occasions where I’ve been grumpier, but that was right up there.”
Interestingly, India too have had umpire’s calls go against them, not only in that Test but throughout the series. And yet, there hasn’t been a single headline or complaint. They accepted it as part and parcel of the game.
Lose the Game, Blame the Pitch
India were clinical in every department at Edgbaston. England’s batters looked clueless against the pace of Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep, while their bowlers struggled to contain Shubman Gill and company. Post the defeat, Ben Stokes walked into the press conference and, rather than acknowledge India’s dominant performance, blamed the pitch.
He said the surface initially assisted seamers but later became “like a subcontinent pitch”. That would suggest spinners should have dominated. Yet, 18 of England’s 20 wickets were taken by Indian pacers. Siraj finished with seven, Akash Deep claimed ten, and Prasidh Krishna dismissed Woakes in the second innings. The numbers tell a different story, one of English batters being outclassed, not undone by the conditions. It would’ve been more sporting to simply credit India.
The Handshake Issue
On the final day in Manchester, with an hour left to play, the match was meandering to a draw. India had batted England out of the game. The bowlers were tired, the fielders spent. Stokes approached the batters, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja, to shake hands and call it a draw.
But both Indians were in the 80s, and they had every right to pursue well-deserved centuries. They chose to play on. That seemed to irk Stokes, who brought Harry Brook on to bowl and sarcastically asked, “You want to score your 100 against Brook?”
Jadeja and Sundar had fought through testing conditions and good bowlers, Archer, Woakes, Carse, Stokes, and Dawson, to reach that stage. Their innings weren’t just for themselves but for every cricket romantic watching. When they finally got to their hundreds and were ready to settle for the draw, Stokes still looked visibly irritated. He exchanged a few words with Jadeja, initially refused the handshake, and his post-match demeanour soured what was otherwise a celebration of high-quality Test cricket.
England lost at Edgbaston and drew at Manchester, the only two unfavourable outcomes for them in the series. Both times, the response was to complain. We’ve seen this before, when Deepti Sharma ran Charlie Dean out for backing up too far. England cried foul, invoking the “spirit of cricket”, and Deepti was hounded on social media and by players alike.
England are a proud cricketing nation. Stokes is a once-in-a-generation player who gives it his all. But perhaps it’s time he, and England, learn that being gracious in defeat is as important as being relentless in battle.
Follow Revsportz for latest sports news