Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has slammed England captain Ben Stokes for his controversial Harry Brook comment on Ravindra Jadeja’ century during the fourth Test in Manchester.
During the last hour of the fifth day of the fourth Test, England captain Ben Stokes proposed ending the match in a draw with a handshake. However, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, who were batting on 89 and 80 respectively and eyeing three figure mark, declined Stokes’ proposal and opted to continue batting.
Jadeja and Sundar’s decision left Stokes frustrated and prompted him to comment, “You want to get a Test hundred against Harry Brook”. Stokes’ comment to Jadeja didn’t go down well with Ashwin and he bashed England skipper on his YouTube channel.
“Have you heard the term double standards? What is double standards? You shake hands and then you say I’m frustrated. You also don’t make a hundred, you also cry and go away,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“And what was your question? ‘You want to make a hundred against Harry Brook?’ No brother, he wants to make a hundred. Please bring Steve Harmison. Bring Flintoff. He didn’t say no. You’re giving bowling to Harry Brook – that’s your mistake, not ours,” said he added.
Notably, Jadeja and Sundar stitched a unbeaten partnership of 203 runs in 334 balls and earned India a draw while facing every England bowler.
Ravi Ashwin said, “as a captain, I would have said India to play all the 15 overs”. pic.twitter.com/cl2cP6NEN4
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 28, 2025
“Since morning, he played your Archer, played your Matthew Hoggard, played Darren Gough, played Andrew Flintoff – played all your bowlers, whoever you guys gave, he played them – and now when it’s going towards a draw, both sides, and after putting in full hard work since morning he has reached here – and he should leave the hundred and walk away?,” Ashwin said further.
“That statement of his – You want to get a hundred against Harry Brook? Of course he does! These are Test runs. He wants to get it, and he deserves it,” he added.
After denying Stokes’ request, 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.
