When Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja rejected England captain Ben Stokes’ proposal to cease the match about an hour earlier than the scheduled shut of play and settle for a draw in consequence within the fourth Check at Previous Trafford, Harry Brook made a remark. “In case you wished 100, you must have batted like that earlier.” It was a distasteful remark in each sense for 2 batters who had been preventing to save lots of a Check match.
Sundar and Jadeja each went on to get their respective centuries earlier than agreeing to shake fingers with the England gamers. In actuality, they might effectively have batted on until the shut of play and England may have carried out nothing about it. They did not. Truthful play to them. If he hadn’t, no sportsmanship daggers ought to have been thrown at them. The truth is, if something, England deserved to be saved on the sphere for that additional hour purely due to the way in which they behaved. However as England captain Ben Stokes mentioned earlier than the beginning of the ultimate Check, they’ve moved on and so have India.
Fallacious! Sundar maybe did not. At the least that’s what former India head coach Ravi Shastri thinks due to the way in which the left-handed all-rounder batted on Day 3 of the collection decider at The Oval.
Sundar blasted a 39-ball fifty that included 4 huge sixes. Sundar was 17 off 27 balls when he determined to go for it together with his companions working out. He solely had Prasidh Krishna for firm when he flicked the change. His first massive shot was a hoist over mid-wicket off Gus Atkinson within the penultimate ball of the eighty fifth over.
Within the subsequent over, bowled by Josh Tongue, Sundar hit two extra sixes, and each of them had been off the brief ball, the identical size that had led to his downfall just a few instances on this collection. It was a press release of types from Washington Sundar. To those that had been doubting his skills in opposition to the brief stuff and positively to Brook, who nudged him for not batting rapidly sufficient.
Sky Sports activities broadcaster Ian Ward introduced up the dialogue when Sundar was going all weapons blazing. “Harry Brook advised him to bat rapidly to get his hundred within the final Check,” he mentioned.
“He’s now saying Let me get my hundred after which I’ll present you,” mentioned Shastri.
Sundar hit Atkinson for 2 fours and a six within the subsequent over because the onslaught continued. He introduced up his half-century with a smashing six. His final 33 runs (to fifty) got here off simply 12 balls earlier than he was lastly out caught for 53 off 36 balls.
Sundar’s innings helped India set England a 374-run goal after an outstanding century from Yashasvi Jaiswal and helpful fifties from Akash Deep and Ravindra Jadeja.
In reply, England bought off to a good begin earlier than Mohammed Siraj cleaned up Zak Crawley with a yorker within the final ball of Day 3 to go away England at 50/1.
