Handshake heat: Washington Sundar explains the Manchester standoff that fired India’s fightback

The moment that sparked the chatter

Day five at Old Trafford had drifted into the last hour when Ben Stokes walked up to Ravindra Jadeja, hand outstretched, signalling the draw England believed was inevitable. Jadeja—98*, partner Washington Sundar on 87*—ignored the gesture. Words were exchanged, Stokes turned away irritated, and suddenly a dead rub-of-the-green session crackled with needle. England’s fielders closed in, bowlers charged harder, India’s pair dug deeper. They batted another 40 minutes, both raised hundreds, and the visitors shut the door on England to level the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2.

Sundar: “That’s sport—pressure brings out edge”

Speaking to Wisden this week, Sundar broke his silence on what English media labelled a “handshake snub”:

• “It happens in every sport. High stakes, high emotion—someone’s always pushing the line.”

• “We took it as a challenge. In Test cricket you crave moments that test how tough you are in the head. That fired us up.”

For Sundar, the flashpoint was less about etiquette and more about competitive signalling: England tried to close the contest; India, still chasing personal landmarks and moral momentum, refused.

Why India saw the bigger win

1. Tactical: keeping England in the field blunted their attack for the final overs and ensured no late wobble.

2. Psychological: India left Manchester dictating terms, not defending.

3. Narrative: the series headline became Shubman Gill’s record 754-run tour and India’s resilience, not England’s containment.

Echoes of past Test flashpoints

Cricket has long balanced gentlemanly codes with gladiatorial impulse—think McGrath vs Sarwan 2003, Kohli-Root mic-drop 2018 or Paine-Ashwin’s barbs in Sydney 2021. The Manchester handshake slots neatly into that lineage: minor in deed, major in motivation.

Looking ahead

• ICC currently allows in-match concussion and Covid subs; the BCCI has just trialled “serious-injury” replacements.

• Debate on sporting conduct—timeouts in football, handshakes in chess, fist-bumps in tennis—shows ritual still matters.

• For India’s dressing room, Sundar suggests, the lesson is clear: when pressed, double down. Old Trafford proved it can transform a match-saving act into series-shaping grit.