London, Aug 2 (NationPress) Fast bowler Prasidh Krishna from India disclosed that his intention behind engaging in a verbal exchange with Joe Root on the second day of the fifth Test at The Oval was a strategic move aimed at distracting the former England captain's concentration. While Krishna characterized the incident as playful banter, he confessed to being taken aback by the intensity of Root's reaction.

Root approached the crease with his team in a commanding position at 129/2, responding to India's 224. On the very first ball he faced—a rising delivery from a good length—Root was struck on the glove by Prasidh. Two deliveries later, a wobble-seam delivery deviated enough to beat Root's defense. It was likely at this moment that Prasidh made his remarks.

On the subsequent ball, Root directed a boundary past gully and even retaliated verbally to Prasidh's previous actions. At the over change, umpire Kumar Dharmasena stepped in, engaging in a lengthy discussion with Prasidh, while skipper Shubman Gill and KL Rahul also defended the bowler.

The specific words exchanged, which occurred while Root was yet to score and had just played and missed against Krishna, were not captured by the stump mic; however, Krishna mentioned he simply told Root, “you are looking in great shape.” “I don’t know why Rooty reacted. I just said, ‘You’re looking in great shape,’ and then it escalated into a lot of abuse,” the 29-year-old pacer remarked to the BBC’s Test Match Special.

During the press conference, Prasidh noted that it was indeed his strategy to unsettle Root, but he emphasized that there was nothing hostile about their exchange, despite the other tensions that had arisen throughout the series.

“That was the intention, but I certainly didn’t anticipate that my few words would elicit such a strong response from him. That’s just my nature when I’m bowling; I enjoy it. If chatting with the batsman helps me get into their head and provoke a reaction, then I embrace it,” Prasidh explained at the press event.

England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick opted not to overanalyze India's strategy to unsettle Root, commenting, “He (Prasidh) clearly aimed to provoke him a bit. Perhaps they’ve noticed how well he has been performing lately and decided on a different tactic, and Joe responded, as he occasionally does.”

The second day of play also featured Akash Deep putting an arm around Ben Duckett after dismissing him. Later, Duckett had another heated interaction with Sai Sudharsan just moments before stumps, following Duckett's LBW dismissal that stood despite a review.

In response to this incident, Trescothick stated, “He didn’t really say much. It’s odd, really. I don’t think putting an arm around someone is necessary, but nothing substantial was said, was it? You don’t often see that. We were conversing on the balcony, and many esteemed players in county cricket would have said something or nudged a bit, or something like that.”