Ben Stokes and his team got it wrong on graceless end to final day that showed their vulnerability and India’s unity
I
ndia spent a day with Manchester United’s squad before the fourth Test, only to then pull off the kind of collective defensive effort rarely seen at the other Old Trafford in recent seasons. But they were not alone in veering away from their pre‑match preparations.
Gilbert Enoka, the All Blacks adviser who made famous their “no dickheads” policy, did some work with England on the training days, only for them to act briefly like … well, let’s just say their adoption of something similar remains a work in progress.
In the wash-up this has become known inevitably as handshake‑gate. At 5.20pm on day five, the start of the last hour and with the draw a dead certainty, Ben Stokes hoped to get his players off the field pronto after 143 overs of toil for four paltry wickets. The physical act of shaking hands at this juncture is only customary but the playing conditions permit an early finish if both captains – or the batters out in the middle, who can act on behalf of their leader – agree. It was not an unreasonable or unusual request.
