Prasidh Krishna said a few casual words were enough to unsettle Joe Root during the Oval Test on Friday, contributing to a key turning point in England’s innings.
Root, who had come in with England steady at 129 for 2, was dismissed for 29 after a tense exchange with the Indian fast bowler. Prasidh took four wickets in the innings and said the brief verbal duel was part of a plan to apply pressure.
“Honestly, all I said was, ‘You’re looking in great shape.’ I didn’t think he’d blow up like that,” Prasidh later explained to the BBC. “The idea was to get in his head a little, sure, but I never expected it to turn into all that chatter.”
The moment unfolded in a dramatic middle session. Root was rapped on the glove by his first ball from Prasidh, then beaten by a wobble seam delivery.
After cracking a four, Root had a few words for the fielders, which was enough to make umpire Kumar Dharmasena step in. That brought India’s captain Shubman Gill and keeper KL Rahul into the thick of it, forcing the umpire to give both sides a firm warning to cool their jets.
Prasidh said the brief confrontation was part of his natural approach. “I enjoy being aggressive when I’m bowling. It gives me a competitive edge if I can get a reaction from the batter,” he said. “Root is a legend of the game. It’s just two people wanting to do their best in the moment.”
England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick played down the incident, saying Root’s reaction was unusual but not concerning. “Normally he just laughs things off, but today he chose a different route,” Trescothick said. “India tried a different approach, and Joe bit back.”
This Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series has been a chippy one, with tensions flaring up in nearly every match. It all started at Lord’s when Shubman Gill called out England’s openers for dragging their feet to get to the crease.
Then at Old Trafford, it was Ben Stokes’ turn to be annoyed, taking a shot at India for batting on for too long in a match that was clearly heading for a draw.
On Friday, another moment drew attention when Akash Deep put his arm around Ben Duckett after dismissing him, though no confrontation followed.
With both sides exchanging intense spells and words, the series has remained tightly contested, with India’s aggression at the Oval adding another layer to the rivalry.
