The handshake controversy from the drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford continues to stir debate. This time, R Ashwin has spoken against the England team.
Ashwin came down heavily on England captain Ben Stokes and his team. He accused them of blatant hypocrisy and poor sportsmanship after India denied an early draw.
Follow The Sporting News India on WhatsApp
Ashwin's comments followed Stokes' decision to offer a handshake with 15 overs still left in the game when Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar were batting in the 90s and 80s.
India chose to continue playing with both batters eventually reaching well-earned hundreds, much to England's visible frustration.
Ravichandran Ashwin calls out England's double standards
Ashwin didn’t hold back as he dissected England's behaviour in the final hour of Day 5's play on his YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat. He said it was a textbook example of double standards.
"You've heard of the term double standards, right? That's what England showed in the last 10 minutes of the game. You can be frustrated. Break a bottle, throw a helmet, punch a wall - do whatever you want after the game. But don't say, 'I'm frustrated, so you also shouldn't score your hundred.' What logic is that?" he questioned.
"Now the game's drawn and you are giving Harry Brook the ball? That's not our problem. That's your captain’s decision," he added.
Ashwin joked that England's own bowlers, sarcastically naming retired players such as Andrew Flintoff and Darren Gough, to remark that the duo of Jadeja and Sundar had already played out all of their main bowlers.
Ashwin exposes England's 'Spirit of the Game' lecture
He was particularly scathing about England's attempt to moralise the situation by referring to the "spirit of cricket."
"Don’t give us a lecture on spirit of cricket. If you really believed in it, you should have let Harry Brook bowl all 15 overs. That would have been a great advert for the spirit of the game," he said.
He even joked that England should have gone fully theatrical and bowled underarm like Trevor Chappell once did. "At least then it would have been funny. But what they did was just ridiculous."
Ashwin concluded by saying India did nothing wrong in letting their batters reach personal milestones.
RELATED LINKS:
- How to bet on cricket
- When is India vs England 5th Test starting? Date and venue listed for next Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy match
- Latest cricket betting and tips
- Best betting sites for betting on cricket online and live in India