As the gripping five-match Test series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy edges towards its conclusion, tensions remained high between India and England.
On Day Two of the Oval Test on Friday, Indian pacer Prasidh Krishna became the latest to engage in a heated on-field exchange-this time with England’s batting stalwart Joe Root.
Not known for reacting to sledges, Root uncharacteristically bit back when Prasidh tried to chirp at him. Though the pacer later brushed it off as mere banter, he admitted surprise that Root responded so strongly.
The flashpoint unfolded during the second session of the day. England were in a commanding position at 129/2 in reply to India’s first-innings total of 224, when Root, recently crowned the second-highest run-scorer in Test history and the current No. 1 batter, walked to the crease.
India’s fast bowlers had begun to find their rhythm, with Prasidh leading the charge. He had just dismissed a fluent Zak Crawley and followed it up with a testing delivery that beat Root’s outside edge. Fired up by the double breakthrough, Prasidh let slip a few words in his follow-through, spicing up the contest.
Root responded with a boundary off the very next delivery and added a verbal retort of his own. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena stepped in during the change of overs, holding a lengthy discussion with Prasidh. Indian vice-captain KL Rahul was also seen speaking in the pacer’s defence.
Later, in the post-match press conference, Prasidh attempted to downplay the incident but admitted the exchange wasn’t entirely spontaneous.
“That was also part of the plan. But I didn’t really expect a couple of words I said to get such a big reaction from him,” said Prasidh, who ended the day with four wickets.
Calling Root a “legend of the game,” the 29-year-old pacer highlighted the mutual respect they share off the field.
He also revealed that verbal exchanges often help him find his rhythm:
“That’s just who I am when I’m bowling, when I’m enjoying myself. If it means having a bit of a chat with the batter… it does help me when I can get under the batter’s skin and draw a reaction.”
England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick also played down the spat:
“I think they made a comment, didn’t they? [Prasidh] obviously tried to get after him [Root] and spark him up a little. Maybe they’ve seen him bat so well in the last few games that India tried a different approach-and Joe bit back, as he sometimes does,” Trescothick said, expressing surprise at Root’s reaction.
“Normally, he’s the kind of guy who just laughs it off, but today he chose a different route. Everyone deals with these situations differently, and today Joe bit back.”
The drama didn’t end there. Prasidh’s fellow quick, Akash Deep, was also at the centre of a minor flashpoint following his dismissal of English opener Ben Duckett. After Duckett and Zak Crawley got England off to a blistering start, Akash responded by removing Duckett and gave him an unusual send-off by putting an arm around his shoulders.
Later in the day, Duckett was involved in another brief exchange-this time with India’s No. 3, B Sai Sudharsan-just before the close of play after the latter was dismissed LBW and failed to overturn the decision on review.
Reacting to the on-field incidents, Trescothick added: “He [Duckett] didn’t really say much. Strange, really. I don’t think you need to put your arm around someone, but nothing was actually said, was it? You just don’t see it often. We were chatting on the balcony, and I know many county cricketers who would’ve said something-or at least dug an elbow in.”