Advertisement
Advertisement
Former South African pacer Dale Steyn has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the drawn fourth Test between India and England, calling out all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar for chasing personal milestones once the match result was beyond doubt.
With the Test meandering towards a draw, England skipper Ben Stokes offered Jadeja a handshake to end proceedings early.
India, however, declined the gesture, allowing both Jadeja and Sundar to bring up their centuries before the match was eventually called off, a move that didn’t sit well with everyone.
The incident sparked a debate online, with South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi defending India’s choice. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Shamsi wrote:
“Why is there such a big deal being made about the Indians choosing not to accept the offer to end the game in a draw immediately? The offer was made, the offer was rejected, and they were fully entitled to make their choice. They got their 100s which they worked hard for. Game over.”
But Dale Steyn saw it differently. Responding to Shamsi, he suggested the Indians put personal glory ahead of the spirit of the game.
“Shamo, this onion has many layers to it, and each one will make someone cry. The only issue I see here is the one thing people aren’t realizing — the batters weren’t playing for 100s, they were batting for a DRAW. That was the goal,” he wrote.
Steyn further added that once the draw was secured, the right thing would’ve been to shake hands.
“It’s not then the time to realize they’re safe and say, ‘No, we’d prefer some free milestones.’ Although within the rules, it just seems a little… well, odd,” he added.
While conceding that Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar batted well, Steyn believed they should’ve accelerated earlier if centuries were on their minds.
“At least then, we could all agree no team tried to outdo the other in this weird situation,” he concluded.
READ: England to play Australia Prime Minister’s XI in pink-ball match
