Former Indian cricketing icon Sunil Gavaskar has delivered a sharp, pointed critique of Ben Stokes‘ captaincy and England‘s overall tactical approach during the recently drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford. Gavaskar’s commentary particularly focused on England’s perplexing decision to delay their innings declaration, questioning why they chose to bat for so long when a result-oriented approach seemed more appropriate. His strong opinions reflect a perceived disconnect between England’s ‘Bazball’ rhetoric of aggressive, fearless cricket and their actual on-field choices, especially when a victory was within grasp, only to be denied by a resilient Indian batting display.
Sunil Gavaskar questions England’s timid declaration and praises India’s spirit
Gavaskar, known for his forthright opinions, minced no words in expressing his dissatisfaction with England’s strategic choices during the Manchester Test. He openly questioned, “Did England bat too long before they declared, because, you know when, when India gave England 600 runs to chase, 600 plus rush to chase at Birmingham, some of the England players, when they came out for the press conference later on, they said, but they were scared, and that’s why they gave us more than 600…” This pointed query highlights Gavaskar’s belief that England missed a crucial opportunity to push for a win.
Despite gaining a substantial lead of 311 runs and inflicting early damage by dismissing Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan without a run on the board on Day 4, England couldn’t force a result.
Instead, the match concluded in a draw, largely due to a heroic rearguard from India, featuring crucial partnerships, including an initial recovery led by skipper Shubman Gill and KL Rahul, followed by magnificent unbeaten centuries from Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja. Gavaskar, filled with pride, declared, ‘I’m proud. I’m enormously proud of this, this team, for what they’ve done. I mean, just four wickets, yes, whatever the pitch might have been, whether it is good pitch, flat pitch, whatever it is to stick around there under pressure,”
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‘Bravado, just a little bit of loud talk”: Gavaskar’s scathing assessment
Gavaskar’s criticism further escalated, delving into the theatrics and perceived hypocrisy of the English side. He recalled the scene in the final hour when “England captain Ben Stokes offered Jadeja and Sundar the chance to end the match with a draw, but the two batters were not in the mood to accept the offer, as both were close to reaching their respective centuries.” This refusal, Gavaskar noted, led to disgruntled English players sharing a piece of their mind with the Indian batters with remarks like Zak Crawley‘s sarcastic suggestion to bat faster if they wanted a hundred.
“Shubman Gill… if he is at the media conference… I would like him to ask, ‘Why did you take a lead of 311? Why were you not happy with a lead of 240? Or 250? After you [Ben Stokes] got his hundred, why did you not declare and give your bowlers a little extra hour to try and get other wickets? I know he won’t ask. He is too nice a guy. He is not this SG. That SG is different. But this SG would have 100 percent asked. And I am asking now,”
Gavaskar contrasted this attitude with England’s previous boasts: “…when I remember reading somewhere earlier on that you know, one England players that said, while they were in India, give us 600 plus. Give us anything we’ll chase. That’s what in India looked at. Give you 600 runs. But you ended up 336 run short. So that was just Bravado, just a little bit of loud talk,” His comments underscore a clear message: England’s aggressive declarations of intent do not always align with their practical decision-making, especially under pressure, reinforcing his view that “Everything cannot be done according to what the England team wants,”
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