“Would England Have Walked Off?”: Gambhir fires back at English reporter over handshake drama

Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir isn’t someone who lets things slide quietly, especially when it comes to defending his team. And that’s exactly what he did in a recent post-match press conference after India successfully drew the fourth Test against England in Manchester. The conference turned slightly uncomfortable after an English reporter brought up the “handshake drama.” 

Gambhir didn’t mince words. He stayed calm, sure, but you could sense the fire underneath every sentence. And the way he flipped the question back? Classic Gambhir. It all stemmed from the final moments of the match. England, seeing the game heading toward a draw, reportedly floated the idea of ending the contest early with a gentleman’s handshake. 

But India? They weren’t done yet. Two batters, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, were inching toward personal milestones. One was in his 90s, the other knocking on the door of a maiden Test century. What happened next got people talking. Gambhir, talking about the same, fired back at the narrative that India had disrespected the spirit of the game. 

“If someone is batting on 90 and the other one on 85, don’t they deserve a hundred?” he asked the reporter. “Would they have walked off if someone from the England side had been batting on 90 or 85?” He didn’t wait for an answer because the implication was clear: of course, they wouldn’t.

He went on to say that both batters had “weathered the storm” and earned the right to see their innings through. “If someone has the opportunity to be at his first 100, would you allow him to do it? It’s up to them. If they want to play that way, that’s up to them. Nothing more to say.” And that was Gambhir at his very best.

Jadeja and Sundar did get their centuries eventually, and the match ended in a draw. During the short altercation, England skipper Ben Stokes even said that if they wanted to score a hundred against Harry Brook and Ben Duckett. But both these batters showed their resilience against England’s whole bowling attack, and they sure deserved the milestone. Now, heading to London, India would hope to win the fifth Test and level the series 2-2.