Indian fast bowler Prasidh Krishna revealed that his on-field exchange with Joe Root during Day 2 of the fifth Test at The Oval was a deliberate tactic aimed at unsettling the England veteran. However, he downplayed the incident, describing it as light-hearted banter.
The fifth Test between India and England remained evenly poised on Day 2, Friday, August 1, with both teams exchanging momentum. India, who resumed their innings at 204/6, were bowled out for 224, while England managed 247 in reply. By stumps, the visitors reached 75/2 in 18 overs.
It was a dramatic day that saw 15 wickets fall and a few tense on-field moments. One such instance involved Prasidh attempting to break Root’s concentration with a few words. In a rare show of aggression, the typically calm Root responded. After the day’s play, Prasidh admitted he deliberately engaged Root to disrupt his focus.
“That was the plan. But I didn’t expect the couple of words that I said to get such a big reaction from him. But, I love the guy that he is. He is a legend of the game and it great when two people are out there wanting to do their best,” the Indian pacer commented.
“It’s a very small thing. It was just the competitive edge among us that was coming out. Both of us are good mates off the field. It was just a little bit of banter and both of us enjoyed it,” he added.
Prasidh Krishna Credits Team Awareness For India’s Post-Lunch Fightback
After dismissing India for 224 in their first innings, England’s openers got off to a flying start, stitching together a 92-run stand in just 12.5 overs. However, India bounced back in remarkable fashion, bringing England down to 215/7 by tea and eventually bundling them out for below 250.
When questioned about India’s impressive turnaround, Prasidh Krishna responded:
“As a team, we knew what happened before lunch. The three fast bowlers, we got together in a small corner and said, what’s happened has happened. All of us know what we need to be doing. We trust each other and tell one another if someone is not on the right track. We spoke about the same thing.”
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