'It’s highly unusual to see Joe Root as animated as he was in that moment. Quite a cheery soul, but not on that occasion'
When even Joe Root loses his cool, you know the tension is real. The England star was at the center of an unexpected on-field spat with India’s Prasidh Krishna, as tempers flared during a high-stakes second day at The Oval. The moment set social media buzzing — and revealed a grittier side to the usually affable Root.
The tension erupted early on Friday, August 1, when Prasidh, bowling just his first over of the day, directed a barrage of words at Root, who refused to back down. What followed was an uncharacteristically animated response from the England batter, as he chirped back at the Indian quick during the 24th over of England’s innings.
As social media quickly pointed out, Root’s unwillingness to let the incident slide stood out. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena had to step in to calm things down, as the exchange threatened to escalate further. Even after the over ended, Root was seen continuing the conversation with the umpire — possibly expressing his frustration.
Root wasn’t the only one engaged in the moment. Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj also exchanged a few words with the former England captain before the situation finally settled. In Prasidh’s next over, he tried once more to needle Root — but this time, the England batter chose not to respond.
India’s aggression came after a demoralising morning session, in which Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett had launched a fierce counterattack. The English openers put India’s bowlers under pressure on a green Oval pitch, racing past 100 in no time.
That pressure seemed to boil over when Akash Deep dismissed Duckett, breaking a 92-run opening stand. Instead of a traditional celebration, Akash walked up to the departing Duckett, wrapped an arm around him, and had a few words — a send-off that caught the attention of commentators and fans alike.
“It’s highly unusual to see Joe Root as animated as he was in that moment. Quite a cheery soul, but not on that occasion,” said former England captain Michael Atherton on air.
“Both teams fired up. What it would really do is send a clear message to India that there would be a clear intent from Joe Root. He will be looking to score and looking to be more positive,” added Ravi Shastri.
“There is a sense of purpose, even when he walked back to his guard. You can see that in his eyes,” he noted.
As for Akash Deep’s send-off, Duckett didn’t react. He simply pulled away and made his way back to the pavilion. But the moment didn’t go unnoticed in the commentary box.
“He's given Duckett a bit of a send-off, which is probably unnecessary, but it's the wicket that India desperately wanted. How many times did a bowler put his arm around after dismissing you, DK?” quipped Atherton.
Dinesh Karthik added, “I'm not sure if this is the right way to send off a batter, especially after you've got him out. Not many batsmen would behave the way Ben Duckett did, or rather did. It looked like they knew each other really well."
The fired-up session revealed the rising stakes and emotions in the final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy — with both teams pushing hard, the niceties are beginning to wear thin.
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