Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel has weighed in on the much-debated handshake controversy that emerged during the drawn fourth Test between India and England at Old Trafford, questioning whether the same sporting gesture would have been extended if the roles were reversed.
Patel, speaking on Match Centre Live on JioHotstar, said the match should have gone on until the final over, regardless of Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar reaching their centuries.
“England did things their own way. Their effort was clear — they wanted to bowl India out and win the game. But when they realized that wasn’t possible, they put their weapons down and acknowledged that India had played very well. At the same time, India did what they wanted to do in their own way — two players worked really hard, batted brilliantly, and both deserved to score centuries,” he said.
“The only question I have is this: if Ben Duckett had been batting on 90 in the same situation and the opposition offered a handshake, would England have accepted it? I am very curious to know this, especially with so many talking about the ‘spirit of the game.’”
India batted out over 143 overs in the second innings of the fourth Test to salvage a draw and keep the series alive. Patel felt that India had earned the right to continue playing and said the decision to bat on was justified.
“In my opinion, the game should have continued till the end of the day, even if the Indian batters completed their centuries. If 15 overs were still left, India should have batted because they worked extremely hard,” he added.
Reflecting on India’s performance overall, Patel praised the resilience of the batting unit but pointed out that the bowlers need to tighten their lines and lengths, especially after a patchy showing during England’s first innings.
“Looking at the way India played this Test match, there’s not much I would change — but if you ask what could have been done better, I’d say the phase on Day 2 when England batted. During that period, India’s bowling lacked consistency and was a bit wayward on both sides of the wicket. That’s where some correction was possible.”
He added that India showed “a lot of character” in difficult conditions and should take confidence into the final Test.
“Almost everything seemed to go against India — when India went in to bat, the clouds were overhead; when England came out to bat, the sun was shining bright. Add to that England’s huge total of 669 runs, and you can see how tough it was. Still, the way India fought back, there’s a lot of confidence to take into the 5th Test.”
India trail the series 1-2 and will aim to level the five-match series when the fifth and final Test gets underway at The Oval on Thursday.
