Throwback: When Virat Kohli accepted England’s offer to draw Test match

Virat Kohli and Alastair Cook. (Photo Source: Twitter/X)

A video from the 2016-17 Rajkot Test between India and England has resurfaced, showing how then India skipper, Virat Kohli, accepted England’s offer for a draw. The clip has gone viral after India’s recent fourth Test heroics at Old Trafford, Manchester, where Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar rejected a similar offer from Ben Stokes.

Back in November 2016, in Rajkot, England had set India a target of 310 with 49 overs left on the final day. With wickets falling, Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja stabilized India’s innings, finishing at 172/6. When England captain Alastair Cook offered the handshake to end the match in a draw, Kohli accepted the decision despite being one run away from his fifty.

Watch the video below:

Meanwhile, fast forward to July 2025, India in the fourth Test found themselves on the back foot as they were trailing by 311 runs after England’s first-innings total of 669. After a horrible start, the Indian batters made a resounding comeback. Shubman Gill (103), KL Rahul (90), Ravindra Jadeja (107*), and Washington Sundar (101*) put on a brilliant fight. As Day 5 neared its conclusion, with India on 386/4, England captain Stokes offered a handshake to end the game in a draw.

I wasn’t going to be risking any of my frontline bowlers: Stokes

However, unlike in 2016, Jadeja and Sundar refused. The duo, in their 90s, wanted to complete personal milestones and, more importantly, finish India’s comeback on a strong note. Their decision frustrated the English side. Following this, Stokes handed the ball to part-timer Harry Brook. Jadeja hit a huge six to reach his hundred, while Sundar soon brought up his maiden Test ton. Despite initial disappointment, Stokes later praised the Indian pair. He cited the packed schedule and concern for his frontline bowlers as reasons for offering the draw.

“We were willing to take it as far as we possibly could and throw everything at them that we did, but it got to that point where there was obviously only one result left on the table and I wasn’t going to be risking any of my frontline bowlers in a situation like that, especially when we’ve got a quick turnaround. “We were willing to take it as far as we possibly could and throw everything at them that we did, but it got to that point where there was obviously only one result left on the table and I wasn’t going to be risking any of my frontline bowlers in a situation like that, especially when we’ve got a quick turnaround,” Stokes told the BBC.

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