London, August 2 (H.S.) — Indian fast bowler Prasidh Krishna has downplayed the on-field verbal exchange with England’s senior batter Joe Root during the second day of the Oval Test, describing it as light-hearted banter. However, he admitted that he did not expect such a sharp reaction from Root.
Known for his calm demeanour, Root appeared visibly agitated after a comment from Prasidh during the second day’s play. At the time, England were in a strong position at 129/2 in response to India’s first innings total of 224. Prasidh had just dismissed Zak Crawley and then beat Root with a brilliant delivery. After the ball, he said something to Root during his follow-through.
Root responded with a boundary past the slips on the very next delivery and made a pointed remark of his own. Following the over, umpire Kumar Dharmasena called Prasidh aside and had a word with him.
“Didn’t Expect That Kind of Reaction”
Speaking after the match, Prasidh said, “I just told him, ‘You’re batting really well,’ and somehow it turned into something else. I don’t know why he reacted so strongly.”
In the press conference, Prasidh explained it was part of a tactical plan. “We thought we’d try to distract him from the game a bit, but I didn’t expect that a few words would provoke such a reaction. When I’m enjoying my bowling, I do talk a little—it’s my style. If it can affect the batter, it helps me.”
He also expressed admiration for Root, saying, “I like him a lot, he’s a legend of the game. When two players are giving their best to win, things like this can happen on the field.”
England Coach Downplays Incident
England’s assistant coach Marcus Trescothick also downplayed the incident. “I think Prasidh said something and Root responded. Normally, Root smiles such things off, but today he chose to respond differently. That’s also one way of dealing with it,” he said.
Other On-Field Incidents
Two more minor confrontations were witnessed on day two. One involved Indian pacer Akash Deep, who placed his hand on Ben Duckett’s shoulder after dismissing him—an unusual gesture. The second occurred between Duckett and India’s Sai Sudharsan, after Sudharsan was given out on review while batting at number three.
Reacting to these, Trescothick remarked, “Akash Deep didn’t say anything, but putting a hand on a batter’s shoulder after a dismissal is a bit unusual. In county cricket, players might say something or give an elbow in such moments, but nothing of that sort happened here.”
By the end of the second day’s play, India reached 75/2 in their second innings, securing a crucial 52-run lead.
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