LONDON: Joe Root is not the one to lose his cool easily and react to a verbal banter on the field. But India pacer Prasidh Krishna, somehow, managed to do that on Day 2 of the fifth and final Test here at the Oval. The two were seen exchanging words in England's first innings with the country's leading run scorer in Test cricket seen having animated chats with the bowler.
The Karnataka pacer was asked about the incident and he said it was just a 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 banter and both of us enjoyed it," Prasidh told reporters in the press conference after the day's play on Friday.
He also said it was a plan to rile up the England batting mainstay but admitted he didn't expect such a reaction from Root. "Yeah, I think that was the plan. But I didn't really expect a couple of words that I said to get such a big reaction from him. But like I said, I love the guy that he is. He's a legend of the game. And for him to come out there, I think it's great when two people are out there wanting to do their best and be a winner at a given moment."
India pacers were plundered for runs by England openers as Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett added 92 runs in no time. The script changed post lunch with India making inroads and restricting England to 247. Prasidh said the three pacers just had a little pep talk in the break and decided to bowl the right line and length to control the slide.
"Firstly, I think as a team we knew what happened before lunch and the three fast bowlers, I think we got together in a small corner and decided, you know, what's happened has happened. And all of us know what we need to be doing and we just said, every time we are on the field, at the mark, we trust each other enough, go speak to each other, tell them if you're not on the right track, bring your mate back in track and just make sure you're bowling the right lines and take it from there. And as a team as well, we spoke about the same thing. Like, if the next three, two hours, if we can show some body language, I think it's going to make a big difference and it made a big difference."
He also admitted that it's very difficult to adjust the line and length when batters are intent on playing shots like Crawley and Duckett did. "I think they are playing a lot of shots and as a bowling unit, it's very hard for us to keep bowling the same areas, knowing they're going to do all kinds of things and try to score runs. But that's the challenge in itself. If you can still come there and know what your lengths and lines are and keep bowling the same good balls again and again, I think it's a matter of time. And that's the challenge, to be able to bowl the good lengths in spite of the aggressive intent of the batsman," he said.
Speaking on Jasprit Bumrah not playing the match and how others bowlers plan for the series in such situations, Prasidh, who claimed four wickets on Friday said, "I think all of us as fast bowlers or in general bowlers have spent a lot of time with each other on and off the field. And we know what each one has to be doing when their chance comes up. And I think it still remains the same. Him (Bumrah) playing, him not playing. I think as bowlers we know what our roles are. Him being there, you know obviously what he brings into the picture. And when he's not there, as a bowler I know what challenge it is to step up every single time you have the ball in your hand."
Prasidh played the first two matches and proved expensive. He then was not preferred for the next two games before making a comeback into the playing XI for the Oval Test. Speaking on it, he said, "Well, I think I've been picked here because I can do the job that the team asked me to do. I'm definitely being backed by the dressing room or whatever. Me not playing the next two games also enables me to go back to the drawing board and do what I've been doing in a better way. If I can bowl the lengths better than what I did. If every part of my skill increases by 5% or 10% when I'm not playing, I'm happy to do that. And every time I come on the field, I'm here to do the job for the team. And if it means that they ask me to do a certain thing and I get criticism from the outside, it's totally okay. Because firstly, criticism and praise is very dependent on performance. And for me in life, it's not about the performance. It's about the process that you follow when you want to play for the country."