Sachin Tendulkar Sides With Team Over Manchester Drama: Absolute cinema! That’s the perfect way to sum up the recently concluded Anderson Tendulkar Trophy.
India’s New Test Era Begins Under Shubman Gill:
After the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin from Test cricket, things looked tough for India. A new captain, Shubman Gill, was leading the side, and they were up against a strong and confident England team led by Ben Stokes. But the way India fought back to level the series was something future generations will remember.
Drama Unfolds in the Manchester Test
The series wasn’t just about runs and wickets. It had plenty of fire and aggression from both sides, which only made it more entertaining. Every single Test went all the way to Day 5, a fantastic reminder of why Test cricket still matters so much.
One of the biggest talking points came in the fourth Test at Manchester. England, sensing the game was heading for a draw, offered to shake hands and call it off. But India’s Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, both closing in on centuries, turned it down. That didn’t go down well with Stokes and his team.
Baffled by the decision, Stokes handed the ball to part-time bowler Harry Brook and asked Jadeja if he wanted to get his hundred against him. Now, Sachin Tendulkar has weighed in, making it clear he felt Stokes’ bowling change was entirely England’s choice.
The thrilling series wrapped up at The Oval on Monday, with India pulling off a nail-biting 6-run win to draw the series 2–2. Across the 25 days of cricket, both teams delivered gripping, competitive matches. But the Manchester incident still has fans and former players debating whether Jadeja made the right call.
Sachin Tendulkar Breaks His Silence
Sachin Tendulkar’s stance? Crystal clear. Jadeja and Sundar were right to keep batting.
“Washington scored a hundred, and Jadeja scored a hundred. Why is it not in the right spirit? They were playing for a draw. Before that, they battled it out when England were having a go at them, and negotiated it all to bat brilliantly,” Sachin Tendulkar said in a video posted on Reddit as he reviewed the series.
“The series was alive, so why should they go ahead (and shake hands) and give rest to England bowlers and fielders? If England wanted to hand the ball to Harry Brook, it was Ben Stokes’ choice. It wasn’t India’s problem. To me, it was fine. They were playing for a draw, not their hundreds. If they had gotten out when they came to bat, we could’ve lost. When they came out to bat, Harry Brook wasn’t bowling, was he? So, why should England’s bowlers be fresh for the 5th Test? Do you have an answer for that? No!” Sachin Tendulkar added.
Some former cricketers argued there was no point in continuing once the draw was secure. But Sachin Tendulkar stood firmly with the Indian team.
“I am absolutely with the Indian team, be it Gambhir or Shubman or Jadeja or Washington, who decided. I’m 100 percent with them. In the last Test match, when it was time to accelerate, Sundar did that brilliantly, didn’t he? Where it was needed to occupy the crease, he did that in the fourth Test. And when it was needed to press the accelerator hard, he did that in the fifth. So, well done,” Tendulkar said.
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