As the heat on the “no-handshake” controversy at the Manchester Test turned up, the Internet also got to doing the thing it does best – a meme fest.
This time, England captain Ben Stokes was facing the heat for being “salty” and was called a “crybaby”. Meanwhile, Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja “farmed infinite aura” points with the netizens.
What is the “no-handshake” controversy?
After KL Rahul and Shubman Gill were dismissed in the first session of play on Day 4 of the Manchester Test, India’s hope of securing a draw seemed bleak, and England looked favourites to win the match once again.
However, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar stuck around batting for two full sessions to ensure that only a draw was likely.
Realising this, English skipper Ben Stokes decided not to put any more pressure on his bowlers and suggested a handshake to end the match ahead of schedule.
As Jadeja was batting on 89 and Washington Sundar on 80, the Indian batters refused the handshake, wanting some kind of reward for their hard-fought innings in the form of centuries.
The English team, however, were not pleased. Stokes and his teammates immediately began trying to convince the Indian players to change their minds, with the England captain even suggesting Jadeja could bring up his ton against part-time bowler Harry Brook.
Both Jadeja and Sundar reached their respective centuries in the coming few overs, and the match eventually ended in a draw once that was done, with Stokes still not looking pleased with how things had turned out.
Here’s how netizens reacted:
A social media user said, “This is how they react… Ben Stokes couldn’t handle a little rejection. India said “no” to his draw offer, and he had a full-blown ego meltdown. Skipped the handshake with Jadeja…he was that hurt! Come on, Ben… don’t be salty, be sporty.”
“Seriously Ben Stokes???? No handshake??” asked another.
“What a crybaby. Test hundred is always special for everyone yrrrr,” exclaimed a user. Another added, “Fcking salty englishmen.”
“Stokes should be grateful Jadeja & Washi walked off after scoring centuries, Virat Kohli would have batted the entire 15 overs had crybaby Ben tried this nonsense with him,” quipped one user.
“No team in world cricket have ever spoken the most about the spirit of game yet played against the spirit of the game as much as Ben Stokes and his team have done,” a netizen highlighted.
“Not seen a more pathetic opponent in Cricket than England,” said another.
An English supporter also slammed Stokes, and said, “Big England supporter obviously. But this evening’s shenanigans exhibit nicely why we are the most disliked team in world cricket.”
Star Sports joined in to say, “Scored a hundred, saved the Test, farmed infinite aura! Ravindra Jadeja didn’t hesitate till the end.”