England Star's Actions Described As 'Absolute Filth' Amid Stokes-Jadeja Row

Drama unfolded in the final moments of the fourth Test between India and England at Old Trafford, as India batters Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar refused England captain Ben Stokes' offer of a draw with 15 overs to go in the day. Both Jadeja and Sundar were nearing centuries, and wanted to get to the milestone, having taken India to safety and pulled off an unprecedented draw. It resulted in Stokes handing the ball to Harry Brook, who delivered a couple of dollies as Jadeja and Sundar raced to their hundreds. Brook's act has been criticised by several experts and fans, with former England cricketer Stuart Broad calling it "filth".

"Harry Brook came on to bowl and he bowled absolute filth. He bowled off spin. It was a bit of an embarrassing moment," Broad said on the 'For The Love of Cricket' podcast.

"Right-arm medium pace and you come up and bowl off spin? I didn't know he bowled off spin. He looked like a poor man's Dan Lawrence in his action. He was trying to get the game done," Broad added.

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has strongly backed his batters' decision to stay on the crease and complete their centuries, even as English skipper Ben Stokes offered a handshake for a draw.

Speaking in a post-match press conference, Gambhir hit back at England when asked about the handshake standoff. "If someone is batting on 90 and the other is batting on 85, don't they deserve a hundred? Would they have walked off? If someone from England would've been batting on 90 or 85 and had the opportunity to score their first Test hundred, wouldn't you allow them to do it? See, it's up to them. If they want to play that way, it's up to them. I think both of those guys deserved a hundred, and they got it," said Gambhir.

After India denied Stokes' request to shake hands and settle for a draw at the drinks break, Jadeja got his century by dancing down the pitch to whack Brook for six and smacked another full toss from the part-timer for four.

Sundar then smacked Brook over extra cover for four, bringing up 200 of his partnership with Jadeja before a flick got him the two runs needed to raise his first Test century.

Immediately after, the players shook hands for real to end the game in a draw, with India being the happier side, thanks to epic match-saving innings from Rahul, Gill, Jadeja, and Sundar keeping the visitors 'alive in the five-match series.

With IANS inputs

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