Former England captain Nasser Hussain has criticized Ben Stokes' move to introduce Harry Brook into the bowling fold after India rejected his proposal to end the fourth Test early, labelling the move as "silly."
Hussain contended that Indian batsmen Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar had done nothing wrong in remaining at the crease as they pursued personal targets.
With the game moving towards a certain draw and not an hour of play left, Stokes made the offer to finish off the game. Jadeja and Washington were then unbeaten on 89 and 80. The Indian pair decided to continue, determined to bring up their centuries, a decision which seemed to annoy the England captain.
In retaliation, Stokes hurled the ball to part-timer Brook, who delivered a few full-toss balls, enabling both batsmen to reach their centuries comfortably.
"I had no issue with it. England had an issue with it. They were a little bit knackered, knackered bowlers so they wanted to leave but two boys struggled hard to reach 80s and 90s and they wanted to get Test match hundreds," Hussain declared during the 'Sky Sports' coverage.
He went on: "Stokes did not need to bowl Brook and make a fool of himself at the end. We make too much of these sorts of things. They played fantastically and all praise to India."
When asked about the moment in the post-match interview, Cheteshwar Pujara asked Washington Sundar what he made of it, and Sundar skirted having to answer directly.
"I believe everyone watched it on television and they probably enjoyed it," said Sundar on JioHotstar.
In the meantime, ex-India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar chipped in, coming to the defence of Indian players and opining that unless an understanding had been reached prior to the last hour, the batters were under no obligation to stop.
"I feel Ben Stokes ultimately acted like a spoilt child," Manjrekar said on JioHotstar.
"I would like to know what England would have done if two of their batsmen were approaching Test hundreds?" he added.
The controversy has fueled arguments about sportsmanship, individual glory, and the game's spirit, but for the time being, Jadeja and Sundar's centuries are hard-won milestones in a closely fought Test series.
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