India pacer Prasidh Krishna admitted that he was taken aback by Joe Root’s animated reaction to his verbal exchange on Day 02 of the fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
The England batter engaged in a heated exchange with Krishna and KL Rahul, prompting umpire intervention in an unexpected flare-up.
A spell against England’s middle order, revealed an incident about the sledging and said that while sledging, Root was intentional, the intensity of the response suprised him.
Speaking on the post-day conference, the fast bowler explained his mindset and cleared air on the ‘Joe Root incident’.
“That was the plan, but I didn’t expect the couple of words I said to get such a big reaction from him. That’s just who I am when I’m bowling, when I’m enjoying. If it means that I have a bit of a chat with the batter… it does help me when I can get under their nerves.” Prasidh Krishna said in the press conference.
“Well it was a very small thing, I think it was just a competitive edge amongst us that was coming out. Both of us are good mates off the field. It was just a little bit of a banter and both of us enjoyed it,” added Prasidh Krishna.
Despite the confrontation, Krishna also quick to knowledge Joe Root’s stature in the game, brushing off any grudge off the field.
“I love the guy that he is. He is a legend of the game, and I think it is great when two people are out there wanting to do the best and be a winner at a given moment,” Krishna stated.
The Incident escalated after Prasidh Krishna bowled a ripper to Root and followed by verbal exchange. The England star responded by cutting the next ball for a boundary while exchanging words, leading to umpires Ahsan Raza and Kumar Dharmasena stepping in.
KL Rahul who was disappointed with the officials’ intervention, was seen arguing with Dharmasena.
The altercation has intensed with clash, as India deploying aggressive tactics to unsettle England’s batting mainstay.
As the series hangs in air, the duel between Krishna and Root has added another fiery chapter in the series, where India is now leading by 52 runs at the end of Day 02 and is poised to give a massive target to England at The Kia Oval.
