The India versus England Test series has been a tense battle, with players often getting heated. Whether it was Shubman Gill or the England team, aggression was present. Near the end of the fourth Test, things escalated when Ben Stokes’ team offered Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar a handshake, suggesting a draw, even though both Indian batsmen were close to scoring centuries.

Ben Stokes, along with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, voiced their opinions after the offer was turned down. Crawley even called the situation embarrassing. Jadeja and Sundar, ignored the comments and went on to reach their centuries, the match ended in a draw.

Robin Uthappa, former Indian star and T20 World Cup winner, was not happy with how things played out.

On his YouTube channel on Wednesday, he said, It’s fine to have a conversation, like, ‘We don’t have much time left, can we stop playing?’ But then, ‘We earned the chance to score hundreds here. We think we deserve it.’ But the fact that the players went after them, especially Duckett and Crawley, was unnecessary. A Test hundred is a Test hundred. Only a small percentage of cricketers ever get one. It felt oddly familiar to us Indians, like being told what to do. It’s like saying ‘you can’t eat meat because it goes against our beliefs’. If I’m eating meat and you’re eating vegetarian food, what does it matter to you? We can still get along.

Greg Chappell, former India head coach, also criticized Stokes and his players, calling their behavior childish and shocking.

Chappell wrote in his ESPNCricinfo column, What should have been a celebration of Test cricket ended with an unpleasant scene: England’s fielders verbally attacking India’s batsmen who were close to centuries.

He added, For a team known for the easygoing attitude, the bad mood was surprising. England, who often claim moral wins, gave up the advantage here. India, on the other hand, left Manchester encouraged by their toughness and the obvious problems within the English team.