England skipper Ben Stokes has revealed why he called for a draw in the last moments of the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in Manchester. The ending phase of the match saw an intense exchange between Stokes and Indian batters Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.
When Stokes asked for a draw, Jadeja and Sundar still wanted to continue as both of them were on the verge of achieving big personal milestones. The England captain later explained his frustration that he was looking after his bowlers and wanted to manage their workload especially when everyone knew there was no outcome of the match.
Also Read: ENG Vs IND, 4th Test: Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar Slam Centuries – Match Ends In A DRAW!
Jadeja and Sundar, on the other hand, built an unbreakable partnership of 203 runs for the fifth wicket and both notched up their respective centuries. Stokes even acknowledged the Indian side and applauded them for their dedication and the way they stood tall against England’s bowling.
“I think all the hard work was done by India; they both played incredibly well. I got to that point where there was obviously only one result, and there was absolutely no chance I was going to risk any of my big fast bowlers through injuries with one more game to go,” Stokes said during the post-match presentation.
“Liam Dawson has just bowled so many overs this game. His body started to get a little bit tired and started to cramp up in the legs, so I wasn’t risking any of my front-line bowlers for that last half an hour,” he added.
“You’ve got to give a heap load of credit for the way that Washington and Jadeja came in and played there when they were obviously under a lot of pressure. So to put that partnership together like they did there, you’ve got to give them a lot of credit,” said the England captain.
