Prasidh Krishna has downplayed his on-field exchange with Joe Root on Day 2 of the fifth Test at The Oval. Known for keeping his cool during games, Root unexpectedly fired back at Prasidh after the Indian pacer had a few words for him in the middle of a promising bowling spell. Despite the visible tension, Prasidh described the incident as harmless banter, though he admitted he was surprised by Root’s strong reaction.
Root had walked in with England comfortably placed at 129/2 in reply to India’s first-innings total of 224. However, the Indian bowlers began building pressure early in the session. Prasidh struck early by removing Zak Crawley and followed it up with a delivery that beat Root outside off-stump, prompting a brief verbal exchange. On the next ball, Root responded by guiding it past gully for four and gave a reply of his own. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena quickly stepped in to calm things down, and KL Rahul also joined in support of his teammate.
Speaking to BBC’s Test Match Special, Prasidh clarified: “I don’t know why Rooty [reacted]. I just said, ‘You’re looking in great shape,’ and then it turned into a lot of abuse and all of that,” the 29-year-old pacer said.
In the press conference that followed, Prasidh explained that unsettling Root was a deliberate tactic. “That was the plan, but I didn’t expect the couple of words I said to get such a big reaction from him,” he said.
“That’s just who I am when I’m bowling, when I’m enjoying. If it means that I have a bit of a chatter with the batter… and it does help me when I can get under the nerves of the batsman and get a reaction from them. But I love the guy that he is. He is a legend of the game and I think it is great when two people are out there wanting to do the best and be a winner at a given moment.”
Heated Day
Day 2 also witnessed other minor flashpoints. Akash Deep briefly placed his arm around Ben Duckett after dismissing him, and later, Duckett was seen exchanging words with Sai Sudharsan after Sudharsan’s dismissal was upheld on review. Indian pacers after being attacked by Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley made a brilliant comeback to restrict England from 92-0 to 247. Both Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna took 4 wickets each while Akashdeep Singh took one wickets. Chris Woakes did not come to bat as he is ruled out from this test after getting injured saving a four during Day 1. India currently stands on 75 at the loss of two wickets leading by 52 runs.