'You're looking...': Prasidh Krishna explains what he said to anger Joe Root in The Oval Test

If we have to take a look at the biggest Test series in the last decade in terms of quality and entertainment, the recent Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy would be right up there. India and England went toe-to-toe in a roller-coaster of a series that eventually ended 2-2 with a thriller at The Oval. After a sedate start to the series, intensity and banter picked up from the Lord's game, with both sides keen to unsettle the other with aggressive antics.

Amongst the several sub-plots, the most surprising was the one involving Joe Root and Prasidh Krishna at The Oval. England's talismanic batter has always been known to be a calm person on the field, seldom willing to get into the opponent's skin. The same goes for Krishna who despite his tall frame and fast bowler personality isn't really known for his verbal attacks at batters. That, though, changed at The Oval as the two were involved in a fiery conversation with both players appearing extremely angry. Root in particular seemed triggered and had to pacified, a rare cricketing sight indeed. With the dust having settled around the series, Krishna revealed that the whole incident happened due to a misunderstanding.

“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," said Krishna in a chat with ESPNCricinfo.

Krishna revealed that all the on-field banter between the two sides was purely restricted to the field, with players chatting away once the series was done. On, his part, he also chose to sort things out with Root, which is when the Karnataka pacer got to know about the misunderstanding and there was also a bit more to Root's reaction, which left Krishna in admiration.

“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’,” said Krishna.

The series was at a high-voltage point going into The Oval Test, which is what got to the likes of even Root who usually loves to keep things under check. The fact that England's batting stalwart also preferred to keep his adrenaline going was testimony to the series's quality but importantly, a big reason behind why Root has become the batting giant that he is.

“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. You're out there to fight, to win battles. Sometimes it takes a lot more than just skill; it takes a lot of mental grit to be part of that journey."