“These Indian players are tough cookies” - Geoffrey Boycott slams England players for handshake controversy

Former England batter and commentator Geoffrey Boycott has slammed the England players, including the captain Ben Stokes, for their handshake controversy when the Indian batters were batting in their 80s.

Moving into the details of the fifth and final day of the Manchester Test, Stokes offered a handshake to Jadeja and Sundar when they were batting in their 80s. However, the batting duo declined it, stating that they want to continue batting and reach their respective milestones, which didn’t go down well with Stokes.

As a result, Stokes brought in Harry Brook into the bowling attack. A few overs later, both Jadeja and Sundar reached their respective centuries, and they went ahead with the handshake, settling for a draw.

In his column for The Telegraph, Boycott lashed out at English players for not letting the Indian batters reach their respective centuries. He added that these Indian players are tough cookies and they don’t take a backward step.

"What goes around comes around. England were gobby enough when it suited them so you can’t blame India for wanting to stay on and allow two batsmen who had worked their socks off to reach their hundreds. If you give it, like England do, then you have to be able to take it,” Geoffrey Boycott wrote in his column for ‘The Telegraph’.

"I could hear them through the stump mics chipping away at India so why should they be nice to them and agree to go off when England have had enough? These Indian players are tough cookies. They do not take a backward step,” he wrote.

"There is no way I would have let anyone drag me off on 89 after I had worked hard all day to save the game for my team. Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar rightly deserved their hundreds. They left the ball well, played with the full face of the bat and defended their wickets at all costs. Well done,” he added.

"I’m not sure what it is with modern players. You hear a lot of them mouthing off. It never really happened when I was playing. It will carry on at the Oval and India will go there thinking they got a win at Old Trafford,” he observed.

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