"You’re looking in great shape…"- Prasidh Krishna breaks silence on verbal altercation with Joe Root during The Oval test

Prasidh Krishna picked eight wickets in The Oval test.

Indian pacer Prasidh Krishna has opened up on the verbal altercation with England batter Joe Root, which took place during The Oval test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. Krishna said that he just complimented Root on his good shape, but the latter misunderstood him.

The fifth test between England and India was a close-fought encounter. India eventually won the encounter by six runs, bowling out the hosts for 367 runs while defending a 374-run target. Mohammed Siraj picked a five-wicket haul in the second innings to secure a narrow victory for the team.

Krishna was also brilliant with the ball in the game, picking four-wicket hauls in both innings. Notably, India ended the series in a 2-2 draw after winning The Oval test.

I just said, ‘You’re looking in great shape’: Prasidh Krishna

On day two of The Oval test, there was a verbal altercation between Krishna and Root. During a chat with ESPNCricinfo, Krishna revealed that he complimented Root on how he was looking in good shape. However, the England batter thought he was abusing him and lost his cool.

“I don’t know why Rooty reacted. I just said, ‘you’re looking in great shape’ and then it turned into a lot of abuse and all of that. I did go and speak to most of them, including Root. I asked him what happened. He said, ‘I thought you abused me’. I said, No and he replied, ‘I actually just wanted to get myself going as well, so I had to pump myself up,” Krishna said.

“That’s what I love about the sport, that’s the way I’ve always played it. To see everybody and especially a legend like him, putting it all out there and fighting for the team, even today, that’s something for everyone to learn from,” he added.

Notably, Mohammed Siraj was adjudged Player of the Match for picking nine wickets in the encounter. Root and Harry Brook slammed centuries for England in the second innings. However, their knocks eventually went in vain as India registered their narrowest victory in tests. Krishna picked 14 wickets in three games during the series at an average of 37.07.

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