Manchester Test: Dale Steyn has his say on handshake row
What's the story
Former South African pacer Dale Steyn has weighed in on the handshake controversy that erupted during the final hour of the Manchester Test between India and England. He defended Ben Stokes, questioning Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar's decision to chase their respective "milestones" after a result was no longer possible. The match ended in a draw after Jadeja and Sundar's unbeaten partnership helped India escape defeat.
Match details
How the handshake offer was turned down
As England's chances of winning faded, Stokes offered a handshake to Jadeja and Sundar in the final hour. However, the Indian duo was not ready to accept it as they were nearing their centuries. This left Stokes visibly frustrated. Despite the rejection, Jadeja and Sundar continued batting and soon reached their respective milestones after Brook was brought in to bowl.
Critique
'It's not then the time to realize they're safe...'
Steyn, while acknowledging the Indian batters' right to pursue their milestones, questioned their decision in light of the match situation. "It's not then the time to realize they're safe and now say no we'd prefer some free milestones," he wrote in response to veteran SA spinner Tabraiz Shamsi's comments on X. The batters weren't playing for 100s, they were batting for a DRAW. That was the goal. Draw the game," he stated.
Comments
Stokes did the gentleman thing: Steyn
"Once that (the draw) was accomplished, and a result was out of the question a handshake was offered, that's the gentlemanly thing to do right? It's not then the time to realize they safe and now say no we'd prefer some free milestones," wrote Stokes. "Maybe with the last hour approaching they should have been more aggressive in reaching those milestones," he wrote further questioning Sundar and Jadeja's approach.
Sportsmanship
Final Test match to be played on Thursday
Steyn stressed on the importance of sportsmanship in cricket, saying that accepting a handshake after securing a draw would have been the gentlemanly thing to do. He said, "That was the goal. Draw the game. Once that was accomplished and a result was out of the question, a handshake was offered." The final Test match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy will begin on Thursday at The Oval with England leading 2-1 against India.
Twitter Post
Here's what Steyn posted!
Shamo this onion has many layers to it, and each one will make someone cry. The only issue I see here is the one thing people aren’t realizing, the batters weren’t playing for 100s, they were batting for a DRAW. That was the goal. Draw the game. Once that was accomplished, and a…
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) July 28, 2025