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"You're gonna get a Test hundred against Harry Brook?"

That was Ben Stokes’ sarcastic jibe to Ravindra Jadeja when the Indian all-rounder chose not to walk away with a draw just yet.

The answer, loud and clear from all of India was:

No, Mr. Ben Stokes. They didn’t just survive, they scored it against your entire bowling attack, over two days, in your own backyard, and left your men looking like they’d just run a marathon blindfolded.

First, you loudly proclaim that no Test match should end in a draw. And then you delay declaring your first innings, assuming India would fold and you'd secure an easy innings win. And when things didn’t go your way? Out comes the melodrama playbook?

And then came this statement by Stokes post the Test. - "10 more runs or whatever it was, ain’t going to change the fact that you’ve managed to get your team out of a very, very, very tricky situation."

Fair point. Jadeja and Sundar did pull off the impossible. But after such sheer grit and hard work, if there’s a chance to score a Test century in England, why rob someone of that?

Now flip the script:

Imagine if India had done something like this. Missiles of ‘spirit of cricket’ and ‘sportsmanship’ lectures would’ve already turned our Twitter timelines into rubble.
So, let’s call it what it is - Stokes and England didn’t just disrespect Team India; they disrespected the game itself.

For the record, this was only the second time in the Bazball era that an England Test ended in a draw—and the first one was rain-affected. So, India didn’t just snatch a result from England; they hurt their ego. Maybe that’s what really ticked off Stokes. Or maybe he extended his hand to the best all-rounder in the world, and Jaddu just walked past.

Whatever it was, remember this: There’s still a 5th Test to go. And let’s make one thing clear - This time, we didn’t start the fire.

Also Watch: Why BCCI said yes to India vs Pakistan at Asia Cup 2025!