Pietersen tears into Stokes critics, defends ‘frustration’ in draw offer controversy with brutal dig: ‘Very easy to…'

Ben Stokes had a controversial moment during the fourth Test between India and England, which ended in a draw.

Ben Stokes found himself in controversy on Day 5 of the fourth Test match as England and India settled for a draw. The visitors managed to recover from 0/2 at Old Trafford in the second innings, and then went past 311 to avoid the innings defeat just before Tea. All-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar then batted for another hour and a half in the third session, which saw India’s lead get to 75, when the mandatory final hour of the match was about to begin. As the game was heading for a sure draw, Stokes offered to shake hands for that, but Jadeja and Sundar, who were on 89 and 80 respectively, declined.

England's Ben Stokes reacts on Day 5. (Action Images via Reuters)

It riled up Stokes and his England teammates, who were left fuming. Then they tried to get under the skin of both Indian batters. The pair got to their hundreds and had the last laugh, and then finally shook hands for a draw.

The incident left former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar angry, and in he stated that the England captain ‘behaved like a spoiled kid’. But former England cricketer Jonathan Trott defended Stokes, and said that England would not have focussed on individual milestones if they were in India’s place.

England legend Kevin Pietersen decided to join the bandwagon and defended Stokes. He also lashed out at the critics in a statement on X.

He wrote, “2 days fielding and no result on the cards - you WANT to get off the field! You cannot have a pop at Ben Stokes for his frustration. Very easy to have a pop at him when you’re sitting in your lounge watching. You’re NOT in the battle. Leave the men in the ring to be emotional.”

“And the Stokes issue should NOT distract from the batters who batted to save the Test Match! Outstanding effort and one which makes The Oval a v v important Test”, he added in another post.

Meanwhile, Stokes revealed in the post-match presentation that he didn’t want to risk any of his pacers, and that’s why he used Brook and Root during that phase. On the other hand, Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir defended Jadeja and Sundar, stating that they deserved their tons.