Indian Cricket Moments – The 4th test between India and England at Manchester has ended in a draw, and now India will go into the Kennington Oval for the 5th test with a lot of confidence behind their back. At one stage, it looked like India were down and out when they were 0-2 in the first five balls of their second inning, still 311 runs behind England’s first innings score. But the grit shown by KL Rahul and Shubman Gill, and then Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, helps India deny a victory to England.
In the end, there was a moment in the game when only one result was possible, a likely draw. England’s captain Ben Stokes came out to shake hands and offer an early finish to the Indian batters. But the two Indian batters (along with the mutual understanding of the whole team) did not take the offer and wanted to go ahead. Now, some experts are questioning the Indian batters’ morals and spirit, and say they played for their personal milestones. But is what they are saying actually true? We will discuss this scenario in detail. We will also see another one of the similar-type Indian cricket moments in history. So let’s begin.
Indian Cricket Moments – England Offers a Handshake, But India Continues to Bat On
India were 1-2 down in the five-match series coming into the 4th test. They scored 358 in the first inning, but England took a massive lead of 311 runs after scoring 669. India were reduced to 0-2 in just the first five balls of the second inning. It looks like an inning defeat is coming up. But the two in-form batters, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill came together to give India some hope after the end of day four. England still had a chance to make it through and went on to win the game. But the two spinning all-rounders, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar’s resilience helped Team India to draw the game.
At one stage, a draw was the likely result in this game. England captain Ben Stokes came in and wants to shake hands for a draw. But Jadeja and Sundar, both were batting at 89* and 80*, seem to be in no hurry to go. They wanted to continue batting, looking for their respective test hundreds.
Ben Stoked was not happy with the Indian team’s approach to continuing the batting. The other English players were also surrounding him and started saying a few things. Stokes said, “You wanted to get a test hundred against Harry Brook?” to Jadeja.
Anyways, India continues to bat on and both batters went on to score their test hundreds. After Sundar’s hundred, both took shook hands and now it is all to play for India in the Oval test.
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Did India Do the Right Thing?
Now, some cricket experts debated on India’s approach of continuing to bat. Mostly, they are in favour of Indian batters. They said Indian batters deserve to get a hundred after so much hard work. And yes, India are well within their rights to play as much as they want (until the game ends). A test hundred is a big thing for any cricketer. Think about someone like Washington Sundar, who has been stuck at 85 and 96 in his test career. It will be a moment he will cherish for life. It is his first-ever test hundred. And the same is the case with Jadeja.
The law says that if one of the teams wants to continue playing, the other team has to play. If a team that wants to end the game does not play in this situation, a team that wants to continue can claim the match. Now, we will tell you about one of the old Indian cricket moments that was somewhat similar. And in that case, there was even a risk that India could have gone on to win the match.
Indian Cricket Moments – When Pakistan’s Zaheer Abbas Almost Killed India’s Sunil Gavaskar’s Record Ambitions
Over the years, a lot of drama has happened on the field in the India vs Pakistan games. It is one of the Indian cricket moments where Pakistan’s former captain Zaheer Abbas walked off, almost denying Sunil Gavaskar achieving a milestone. It was an incident of the Bengaluru test in September 1983. The first test of the series, affected by rain and a heavy outfield. The pitch was tricky, and so was the game. Coming to the last day of a test match, both teams’ first innings had barely finished. Pakistan took a slender lead of 13 runs, and a draw was the likely result in the game. India had to play the remaining 60 overs in a day.
The rules at the time required teams to bowl 77 overs in a day. And most importantly, to bowl 20 overs in the final hour, no matter how many had already been bowled. Zaheer Abaad, Pakistan’s captain in that game, keeps asking the umpires about the law. Zaheer and Pakistan did not want to continue playing in a game that would produce no result. There were a lot of talks on Zaheer Abbas’s intent. Some said he deliberately did not want to continue, knowing that Sunil Gavaskar was nearing a milestone. While some say he genuinely did not know about the rules. But something was cooking.
India’s Sunil Gavaskar was looking for his 28th test hundred, just one short of Don Bradman’s record. India batted again, knowing that the result (a win) is not possible. Sunil Gavaskar and Anshuman Geekwad batted well in the second inning. The crowd was getting bored knowing that the draw would be the likely result. But as soon as they knew that Gavaskar was nearing a milestone, they found their voice again.
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Zaheer Did Something No One Was Expecting
As the crowd found its voice again, Pakistan’s captain Zaheer Abaad did something which no one was expecting. He went off the ground along with his teammates, without telling the umpires. Everyone was shocked to see what the Pakistan team did. The Indian batters were still waiting on the pitch, as Gavaskar was batting on 87*. As per the rules, India could have claimed a straight win as one team (India) wanted to continue playing. But it was the India vs Pakistan match, it was more than the rules.
The crowd went restless, eagerly looking for the Gavaskar moment. The official from the Karnataka Cricket Association (KCA) also requested the continuation of the game. After some time, the umpires entered Pakistan’s dressing room, and a lot of discussion happened regarding the rules and regulations. Eventually, one of the umpires in that game, Madhav Gothoskar, warned Pakistan’s team to continue. And if they don’t return to the field, the match will be given to India.
Pakistan Came Back to the Field, Reluctantly
The Pakistan team, reluctantly, came back to the field. Gavaskar completed his 28th test hundred in the final over of the match. The crowd cheered for Gavaskar, but the overall mood in that game was nothing but sorrow. People will remember this Indian cricket moment for years. And yes, Team India did the right thing to continue playing against England in the Manchester test. History will remember players by the numbers. And a test hundred won’t come easily. Gautam Gambhir, India’s current head coach, also said that if any of the English players eyeing a milestone, Ben Stokes could have done the same thing.
You can see the FULL SCOREBOARD of IND vs PAK Bengaluru Test 1983 HERE
So this is one of the Indian cricket moments that will be remembered forever. What do you think about this one? Comment your opinion below. Thank you for reading. Keep following sportschilly.com for the latest updates, stories, insights, records, stats, analysis, predictions, previews, reviews, and more.
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FAQs:-
(1) How many centuries has Ravindra Jadeja had in international cricket?
A. As of July 2025, Ravindra Jadeja has five international centuries in his international career.
(2) How many all-rounders have more than 7000+ runs and 200+ wickets in test cricket?
A. As of July 2025, only three players have more than 7000+ runs and 200+ wickets in test cricket. England’s Ben Stokes, South Africa’s Jacques Kallis, and West Indies’ Gary Sobers are the three all-rounders to achieve this milestone.
(3) How many tests has Team India won in England?
A. As of July 2025, Team India has won 10 test matches in England.
(4) How many centuries has Ben Stokes scored against India in tests?
A. As of July 2025, Ben Stokes has scored two centuries against India in tests.
(5) Who won the last India vs England test series in England?
A. Team India has managed to draw the series 2-2 in the 2021-22 tour. The last test of the series was postponed to next year. And in 2022, England went on to win the 5th test and escape India with a test series win in England.
