ENG vs IND: Prasidh Krishna explains his verbal duel with Joe Root on Day 2 of the Oval Test

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The second day of the Oval Test between England and India witnessed a rare on-field confrontation involving India’s pacer Prasidh Krishna and former England captain Joe Root. The incident occurred when Root came out to bat after England lost their second wicket, sparking an unexpected war of words that drew attention from both players and umpires.

Prasidh, in his first over to Root, rapped the batter on the gloves with a sharp delivery. A few balls later, Root was beaten outside off while attempting a defensive shot, prompting Prasidh to exchange a few words with him.

Root, known for his calm demeanor, responded in an uncharacteristic manner after driving the very next ball for a boundary. His animated reaction surprised many, forcing umpire Kumar Dharmasena to step in. Indian skipper Shubman Gill and star batter KL Rahul also had a brief chat with Prasidh to cool things down. Despite the intervention, the chatter continued for a short while as both sides exchanged words.

After the end of the day’s play, Prasidh spoke openly about the incident. He revealed that his comments to Root were far from provocative and expressed his surprise at Root’s fiery response.

“I don’t know why Rooty [reacted]. I just said, ‘you’re looking in great shape,’ and suddenly it turned into a lot of abuse and all that,” Prasidh told BBC’s Test Match Special.

Prasidh further admitted that it was a deliberate attempt to test Root mentally but never expected such a strong reaction.

“That was the plan, but I didn’t expect the couple of words I said to get such a big reaction from him,” he added during the media interaction.

Also READ: ENG vs IND [WATCH]: Tensions flare as Joe Root and Prasidh Krishna engage in heated exchange on Day 2 of fifth Test

The Anderson-Tendulkar series has already been marked by several heated moments between players. Earlier at Lord’s, Gill pointed out that England’s openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett were late to take the field. At Old Trafford, Ben Stokes questioned Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar’s decision to bat for their personal milestones despite the match heading for a draw.

Even on Day 2 at the Oval, Akash Deep had a brief verbal exchange with Duckett after dismissing him, but the England opener chose not to react and walked away calmly. With the series finely poised, these on-field confrontations have only added to the intensity of this high-stakes contest.

Also WATCH: ENG vs IND – Mohammed Siraj removes Ollie Pope and Joe Root LBW with sharp inswingers on Day 2 of the Oval Test