'Would England have accepted if Ben Duckett was batting on 90?': Parthiv Patel on Manchester 'handshake' row

India have a chance to tie the series in the fifth and final Test match at The Oval (AFP Photo)

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel believes Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar should have stayed on and continued batting even after reaching their centuries on Day 5 of the Manchester Test against England instead of walking off. Defying the odds, Jadeja and Sundar put up an undefeated 203-run partnership for the fifth wicket, which has kept India alive in the series. However, the handshake controversy in the last few minutes of the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy overshadowed an incredible battle between bat and ball.

England captain Ben Stokes went over to both Jadeja and Sundar to shake hands and end the match early as the duo were batting in their 80s. But since the two were close to their tons, it's hardly shocking that they decided to go for milestones.

This rejection was not well received by Stokes and the rest of the England team, who had some unpleasant things to say. In an attempt to make fun of Jadeja and Sundar, the England captain introduced Harry Brook into the attack, as taunted by Stokes when he first approached to end the match.

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According to Parthiv Patel, India ought to have continued to bat. In addition, he questioned what would have England done if Ben Duckett had been batting on 90 at the time.

"England did things their own way. Their effort was clear — they wanted to bowl India out and win the game. But when they realised 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," said Parthiv on JioHotstar.

"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.’ In my opinion, the game should have continued till the end of the day, even if the Indian batters completed their centuries," he added.

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Then, Parthiv Patel commended Sundar and Jadeja's determination. When Shubman Gill and KL Rahul were dismissed in the first session of Day 5, it appeared for a while that India might lose.

"If 15 overs were still left, India should have batted because they worked extremely hard. Before lunch on Day 4, when two wickets fell, it looked like India could lose the Test on Day 5," said Parthiv.

"But from that point to batting through 143 overs is an incredible effort. So, I believe what India did was absolutely right — though personally, I feel they could have batted a bit more," he added.

India now have a chance to tie the series in the fifth and final Test match at The Oval, which starts on Thursday. England currently have a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.