England Captain Ben Stokes Praises Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja's Efforts

England captain Ben Stokes acknowledged that the efforts of Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja in salvaging the Manchester Test were commendable, despite not scoring centuries.

Stokes on Jadeja and Washington's Partnership

The two left-handers came together just before lunch on the final day and batted through 55.2 overs for a 203-run stand that pulled India to safety. Stokes praised their efforts, saying:

"The knock that those two played was very, very good. The situation that India found themselves in there, with us opening the game slightly, that partnership was massive. You hold your hands up, they played incredibly, incredibly well."

Stokes on the Use of Part-Timers

Stokes clarified that the use of part-timers like Harry Brook and Joe Root with the ball was a pragmatic choice, as preserving the frontline bowlers was a priority due to a short turnaround before the Oval Test.

"We were willing to take it as far as we possibly could and throw everything at them that we did, but it got to that point where there was obviously only one result left on the table and I wasn't going to be risking any of my frontline bowlers in a situation like that."

Indian Perspective

From the Indian side, the perspective was more empathetic and celebratory. Both Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill felt that the two batters had earned their centuries, having endured a relentless examination over five sessions.

"If someone is batting on 90 and the other one is batting on 85, wouldn't they deserve a hundred? Would they have walked off if someone from England side would've been batting on 90 or 85?" Gill said.

Gill on the Wider Significance of the Draw

Gill reflected on the wider significance of the draw, saying that for the first time in the series, India were chasing the game from the outset. He also emphasized the importance of learning from each Test match.

"Every match going up until the last session of the last day … so many learnings. Each Test match teaches you something different, four matches as a group has also taught a lot. Hopefully, we can draw the series if we win the next match."