Prasidh Krishna: India planned to ruffle Joe Root

Joe Root had an angry exchange with Prasidh Krishna on day two at the Oval - Getty Images/Shaun Botterill

Prasidh Krishna said India had a pre-conceived plan to ruffle Joe Root at the Oval, leading to a heated exchange between the pair.

On a day of high drama and terse words, Krishna drew an unusually animated response from the normally composed Root after sledging the England batsman when he was on nought. 

Root, the world’s top-ranked Test batsman, then hit Krishna for four, and returned a verbal volley.

Root has had an excellent series, making hundreds at Lord’s and Old Trafford, but made just 29 before being dismissed by Mohammed Siraj amid an English collapse. By stumps, India were two down leading by 52 runs.

Krishna said he was surprised by Root’s response to him, given that the pair are former IPL team-mates.

“It was a very small thing, just a competitive edge amongst us coming out,” he said. “Both of us are good friends off the field and it was just a little bit of banter and both of us enjoyed it.

“That was the plan [to ruffle Root] but I didn’t expect a couple of words I said to get such a big reaction from him, but I love the guy he is. He’s a legend of the game. For him to come out, it’s great when two people are out there wanting to be the best and be a winner in a given moment.”

Marcus Trescothick, England’s assistant coach, played the incident down as “nothing you wouldn’t hear on a normal game day”, but said Ben Duckett had done well not to react when Akash Deep put his arm round him after dismissing him.

Akash Deep appeared to be trying to wind up Ben Duckett after dismissing the England batsman - AP/Kirsty Wigglesworth

Trescothick said: “Joe just reacted differently than he has before. Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn’t. It was nothing serious to worry about.

“I was just saying [to the coaches] that many in my time would have dropped the elbow on [Deep], a bit different! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bowler do that after getting someone out. We’ve seen many words between the sides, and it was just different. We were laughing and joking about it.

“Yeah, of course he [Duckett] did well [not to react]. We’ve seen it in the series. Ben doesn’t really do a great deal. There may be occasions in the future where he does. But you put your head down and walk off, the job is done. There is no need to walk him off in that fashion but the game has been fought in good spirits. Been many words and arguments, but the teams are getting on well enough and will continue to do so.”

Eight of the biggest flare-ups in series full of needle

Just as assuredly as it brought more compelling cricket, the second day at the Oval brought more skirmishes on the field too. These added to the sense that England’s series with India has been among the most fraught of recent years.

One simple reason for what is euphemistically called the needle between the sides has been time. With the first four Tests all finishing late on day five, there has now been cricket on 22 days this series: ample time for disagreements to fester, especially with all the matches so competitive. A five-Test series simply allows greater scope for tensions to multiply.

There has been another dynamic that has informed this series, too: the cooling of England’s relationship with the Indian Premier League. Only two of England’s players at the Oval – Jacob Bethell and Jamie Overton, who are both playing their first Tests of the series – featured in this year’s IPL.

A striking number of England players have indicated a relative lack of interest in the IPL. Harry Brook is banned from the next two seasons of the competition after withdrawing at late notice this year. Brook, like his team-mates, has not struck up friendships with Indian players during the IPL, in the manner that men like Jos Buttler, Sam Curran and Kevin Pietersen did.

All these forces have come together to make for a series that has contained more needle since perhaps any involving England since the 2005 Ashes. Here are eight of the biggest flare-ups this series.

Shubman Gill v Zak Crawley, Lord’s day three

At precisely the moment when a series is normally coming to an end – the third evening of the third Test – this clash burst into life. With six minutes remaining on day three at Lord’s, England’s openers used elaborate time-wasting tactics to ensure that they would only have to face a solitary over.

India sarcastically applauded Crawley as he called over the physio, with captain Shubman Gill telling him to “grow some f------ balls”. These scenes set the template for much of what has followed since.

Before day four, KL Rahul promised that India would be “fired up” when play resumed; the team were as good as his word. When Mohammed Siraj dismissed Ben Duckett on the fourth day, he screamed in the batsman’s face.

Mohammed Siraj gets in Ben Duckett’s face - Getty Images/Clive Mason

Brydon Carse and Harry Brook v Akash Deep, Lord’s day four

Twenty-four hours after England’s skulduggery, India attempted some flagrant time-wasting of their own to try to avoid facing another over. Brydon Carse pointed at Akash Deep, India’s nightwatchman. Harry Brook was even more direct, telling Deep to “do your f------ job”.

Ben Stokes and Harry Brook v India, Old Trafford, day five

After Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar had batted with admirable discipline to secure a draw at Old Trafford, thereby keeping India alive in the series, Ben Stokes offered his hand to Jadeja to offer a draw. But India’s pair, as they were well within their rights to do, preferred to bat on – both securing their centuries, and also forcing England to remain in the field longer before the last Test.

In response, a petulant Brook offered his hand sarcastically when Jadeja reached his century, and bowled a series of slow, loopy off breaks which made clear that he was piqued.

Gautam Gambhir v Lee Fortis, the Oval, two days before the Test

As the fifth Test loomed, tensions extended beyond even the players. At the Oval, two days before the last Test, India head coach Gautam Gambhir and Surrey’s head of ground staff Lee Fortis squared off.

Fortis told Gambhir to avoid encroaching on the square. In response, Gambhir shouted and wagged his finger at the groundsman. Gambhir shouted “you can’t tell us what to do” and was heard to say later: “You’re just a groundsman, nothing beyond that.”

The pair were eventually separated by Sitanshu Kotak, India’s batting coach, and other members of the Indian support staff. Showing little inclination to defuse the situation, Kotak later accused Fortis of being “a bit arrogant”.

Mohammed Siraj v everyone

Mohammed Siraj’s sheer zest for the fight has been a common feature in much of the most compelling cricket this series. In his desperation to succeed, Siraj can sometimes irk opponents, as when screaming in Duckett’s face at Lord’s. At the Oval, Duckett could be overheard referring to Siraj as “Mr Angry”.

Akash Deep v Ben Duckett, the Oval, day two

Struggling to defend against Deep, Duckett instead resorted to a series of extraordinary scoops and reverse scoops. When one such shot led to his downfall, gloving the ball behind, Deep smiled and put his arm on the batsman’s shoulder. In theory, such physical interaction is prohibited by the International Cricket Council’s code of conduct, but Duckett did not respond. For all the evident competitiveness of the two men, this interaction seemed essentially good-natured.

Prasidh Krishna v Joe Root, the Oval, day two

Joe Root is very seldom involved in altercations. But even he hasn’t been immune from the wider tensions against India. From the fifth ball of his innings at the Oval, Root played and missed, leading Prasidh Krishna to utter uncomplimentary words. The pair then exchanged heated words and stares on multiple occasions, leading the umpires to intervene.

Ben Duckett v Sai Sudharsan, the Oval, day two

In the last throes of the second day, there was still time for one more high-octane incident. After Sai Sudharsan was rightly given out lbw to Gus Atkinson, he started to walk off the field. Then, seemingly goaded by Duckett, Sudharsan decided to review his lbw decision after all. The upshot was that India squandered one of their reviews: a welcome bonus for England, on top of Sudharsan’s wicket. By the end of this series, you suspect, there will be more on-field incidents to add to this list.

Scyld Berry

Brittle England batsmen fail to grind out ugly runs

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