Follow UsAfter Ben Stokes' attempt to call an early end to the Manchester Test was declined by Indian batters Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, the England skipper had a go at them, advising them that they should have batted quicker if they wanted to reach their hundreds.
Stokes even went on to tell the batters if they wanted to get their centuries against Harry Brook and Ben Duckett, as he was not keen to bowl his frontline bowlers given that they had bowled 143 overs between them in the second innings.
After Nasser Hussain called Stokes' move silly, another former England captain, Alastair Cook, has backed the Indian batters, saying that they had every right to continue.
“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.
“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."
Jadeja and Sundar got to their hundreds in the end, and India played out a well-fought draw. The action now shifts to the fifth Test at The Oval, with England leading the series 2-1.