Cricket Sportsmanship - England Vs. India, 4th Test Match
Cricketers as Sportsmen: Playing Square and Fair. Did Ben Stokes Cross The Line.
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Ben Stokes has often been hailed as a aggressive leader, inventive, and unafraid to challenge convention. But today, as the fourth Test between India and England moved to a draw, it wasn’t bravery on display. It was something else entirely: a subtle, calculated act of denial, aimed not at winning, but at denying others the joy of a milestone, reaching an century, earned through resilience. Cricket, they say, reveals character in defeat more than in victory. And yesterday, in the drawn 4th Test between India and England, we saw not just a game winding down, but the mask of sportsmanship slipping.
The Situation: A Intensely Fought Match & The Ending
With the match drifting toward an inevitable draw, India’s Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar were inching towards well-deserved centuries — milestones that are not just about personal glory, but about grit, hours of concentration, and discipline. Stokes, realizing the game couldn’t be won or even dramatically turned, did what seemed like a tactical retreat.
As Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar played on with hard-fought runs on a flat pitch, against time and fatigue — Ben Stokes seemed to chose to deny the milestone for the Indian batters.
With the result looking settled, Stokes attempted to end the game prematurely, knowing full well the Indian batters were on the brink of personal milestones. When India’s batters, declined the offer, the England captain seemed to be upset.
He responded by sending in part-time bowlers and crowding the field. This was not gamesmanship. This was scorecard sabotage dressed as indifference. Instead, he opted for a passive-aggressive performance, designed to minimize the performance of players who had outbattled and outlasted his side. “If we can’t win, you don’t get to truly celebrate.”
A captain’s role is not just to lead the XI but to represent the ethos of the team. Today, Stokes represented something else: bitterness dressed as gamesmanship. Not illegal, but certainly not in the spirit of the game we love.
What If the Roles Were Reversed?
Would Stokes have been okay if Joe Root and another England player was batting in the eighties or nineties and the opposing captain tried to shake hands early? Would he have liked it?
Would it have been framed it as “fair play”? Let’s be honest — they would have dressed up their comments with righteousness, calling it unsporting and small-minded. Yet here, that same moral compass seems to have conveniently disappeared.
Sportsmanship Is What You Do & How You Behave, When You Can’t Win.
Ben Stokes and England had a chance to walk off with pride, having fought hard, Instead, they walked off looking petty. There’s a phrase that applies well here: “A gentleman is someone who knows how to play fair.” In this case, Stokes knew, but chose not to. You may not agree. Well then, being a leader shouldn't he have considered the consequences of his words? What about his team-mates, some of them were equally narrow-minded. They chose to side with him and argue.
Final Thought: You Can’t Tarnish a Century Earned with Sweat
Jadeja and Sundar will remember this knock — not for the missing 3–4 runs, but for the petulance of the opposition. Milestones don’t need applause from the opponent to count. They need time, temperament, and the ability to rise above such behavior. India did that today. Ben Stokes — for all his reputation — did not. “In cricket, you’re judged not just by how you win — but how you draw, and how you lose.” England, or was it just the Captain and a couple of players? They had a chance to end the game with dignity. They chose drama. India chose silence — and, in doing so, walked taller.
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Here's a Video Link To Ben Stokes Taunting Jadeja - Asking If They Wanted To Get A Century Against Brooks & Ben Duckett! -
Did He forget that the batsmen scored 80% of the runs against his famous front-line bowlers? Double Standards.