IND vs ENG | ‘Ben Stokes behaved like a spoiled kid’: Ex-India cricketer slams England captain | Cricket News

After India’s gritty draw in the fourth Test at Manchester, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar praised the team for producing “warriors” and didn’t hold back in criticising England captain Ben Stokes, calling his reaction to the final-day drama that followed India’s refusal to accept a draw “like a spoiled kid.”To keep their hopes of drawing the series alive, India put in a monumental effort to deny England what looked like a certain victory. Centuries from captain Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar broke England’s momentum and visibly shook the usually aggressive and composed Stokes.As the match reached the final hour, Stokes approached the Indian camp with a handshake offer, expecting India to agree to a draw. But the Indian batters held their ground, determined to see Jadeja and Sundar reach their personal milestones before calling it a day. The decision unsettled England’s players, who fired verbal shots at the Indian duo and put in a visibly half-hearted bowling effort as they looked to wind down the day and conserve energy.Speaking on ‘Match Centre Live’ on JioStar, Manjrekar lauded India’s grit and highlighted how England, under Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s ‘Bazball’ philosophy, are not used to playing for draws—and certainly not twice in a series.“I think that was the perfect summation of what happened — a draw that feels like a win. And yet again, this young Indian batting line-up continues to surprise. You expected KL Rahul and Shubman Gill to be the partnership to watch out for, but that stand was broken early in the day. However, India keeps producing warriors every Test match — this time, it was Washington Sundar who stood tall. Fantastic batting once again. In the end, what we saw was frustration from a team that is used to dominating at home. It’s rare to see England settle for a draw twice in the Bazball era. Remember, this is the first time Ben Stokes abandoned his principle of batting first after winning the toss — and it happened against India. This draw, without any weather intervention, came against India. That says a lot,” Manjrekar said.

He added that India had forced Stokes to rethink his approach and leadership style.“India has forced Stokes to rethink his approach and leadership style. What we saw towards the end was a captain frustrated, unaccustomed to such results, and having to fight so hard to secure a favourable outcome. He thought the win was sealed, and finally, I must say, he behaved like a bit of a spoiled kid. After watching Jadeja and Washington bat for hours, both nearing centuries, there was no way India would have accepted his declaration offer. Ben Stokes will regret that moment — and that frustration only tells you how much this new-age Indian batting line-up has unsettled England throughout the series,” Manjrekar added.

He further urged the team management to now view Washington Sundar as a complete all-rounder. Manjrekar noted that Jadeja has looked more like a batting all-rounder in this series, with less impact from his bowling.He suggested that Sundar’s emergence gives India a solid number five option in the absence of Rishabh Pant, allowing wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel to bat lower down the order and making room for Kuldeep Yadav as a third spinner.“Sundar, on the other hand, has picked up wickets as well — he is an off-spinner who can easily be selected as a specialist spinner. This changes India’s thinking. They would not be considering an extra batter anymore; instead, they might start looking at Kuldeep Yadav for the next Test. That is the impact this partnership has had. Even without Rishabh Pant, India might stick with these two all-rounders to strengthen the batting. Sundar probably stays at number five now. If Dhruv Jurel plays in the next match, he may have to slot in a position lower,” he added.Washington Sundar has had a notable impact in the series so far, scoring 205 runs in six innings at an average of 51.25, including a century. He’s also taken 7 wickets in five innings at an average of 35.85, with best figures of 4/22 at Lord’s.In the Manchester Test, England won the toss and chose to field. India posted 358 in the first innings, riding on half-centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal (58), Sai Sudharsan (61), and Rishabh Pant (54). Ben Stokes led with the ball, claiming 5/72, while Jofra Archer chipped in with 3/73.

England responded with a mammoth 669, thanks to a 166-run opening stand between Zak Crawley (84) and Ben Duckett (94), followed by major knocks from Joe Root (150) and Stokes (141). Ravindra Jadeja was the standout bowler for India with figures of 4/143, while Jasprit Bumrah had a subdued outing, picking up 2/112.In India’s second innings, Chris Woakes struck early, reducing them to 0/2. But KL Rahul (90) and Shubman Gill (103) mounted a fightback with a 188-run stand. Jadeja (107*) and Sundar (101*) then batted through the final stretch, frustrating England and helping India post 425/4 to end the match in a morale-boosting draw.The series stands at 2-1 in England’s favour, with the fifth and final Test scheduled to begin on July 31 at The Oval.