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I want Shubman Gill to ask Ben Stokes, 'Why did you…?' Sunil Gavaskar annihilates England for saying 'India were scared'
Sunil Gavaskar did not hesitate in calling out England's hypocrisy after India held on to a famous draw in the fourth Test at Manchester.
A draw that feels like a win. KL Rahul and Shubman Gill's incredible resistance, followed by a memorable act of defiance by Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, ensured India, despite being down 0-2, escaped with a miraculous draw in the 4th Test at Manchester to keep the series alive. India have all to play for in three days' time at The Oval, as a win in London will prevent a defeat and level the series 2-2. England were in control for most of the match. After dismissing India for 358 in the first innings, centuries from Ben Stokes and Joe Root, England piled 669, taking a lead of 311 runs. However, considering the outcome of the match, one can't help but feel England's stubbornness to bat as long as possible robbed them of a win. At least, Sunil Gavaskar feels so.
The former India captain, reacting to the match, hailed India's gritty batting in the second innings, losing only four wickets across a little more than five sessions, but also exposed England's hypocrisy in the process. Gavaskar, taking a page out of England's book after the second Test at Birmingham, called out their questionable tactics. After the hosts won the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy, Stokes had said, "Even if they had given us 600, we would have gone for it." England failed the test at Edgbaston, after which something one of their players said ticked Gavaskar off.
"Satisfied? I am proud. I am enormously proud of this team for what they have done. I mean, just four wickets [fell]. Whatever the pitch might have been – good pitch, flat pitch – whatever it is, they stuck around there under pressure. The question can be asked: Did England bat too long before they declared? When India gave England 600-plus runs to chase at Birmingham, some of the England players who came out for the press conference said 'India were scared, and that's why they gave us 600 runs'. But I also remember reading somewhere earlier on when England were in India 'Give us 600 runs. We will chase anything.' That's what India did, but you ended up 336 runs short. So that is just bravado, a little bit of loud talk," the Little Master said on the Sony Sports Network.
Sunil Gavaskar wanted Shubman Gill to go hard
Gavaskar, never one to mince words, hoped Shubman Gill to react more strongly in the aftermath of the result and rub some salt on England's wounds. Unfortunately for Gavaskar, Gill did not attend India's post-match press conference, but Gavaskar insisted that had he been in his place, he certainly would have shot a few uncomfortable questions at Stokes.
"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," he added.
