The fifth and final Test match between India and England at The Oval witnessed a gripping Day 2, highlighted by a heated exchange between India's fast bowler Prasidh Krishna and England's star batter Joe Root. The incident, which required the intervention of the on-field umpires, became a major talking point amidst the fluctuating fortunes of the match.

According to reports, the confrontation occurred during the second session of the day. It appeared that Root took exception to something Prasidh said after a delivery, prompting him to walk down the pitch and confront the bowler. Following the verbal exchange, Root responded with a boundary on the very next ball, leading to more words being exchanged between the two players. The umpires quickly stepped in to diffuse the situation after noticing the rising tensions.

Speaking after the day's play, Prasidh Krishna downplayed the incident, calling it "just good banter" and emphasizing that he and Root are "good friends off the field". He acknowledged the competitive spirit between them, stating, "I think it was just a competitive edge amongst us that was coming out".

Prasidh also admitted that he did not anticipate such a strong reaction from Root to his words. "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," he said. Despite the exchange, Prasidh expressed his admiration for Root, calling him a "legend of the game". He added, "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".

The incident seemed uncharacteristic for Root, who is generally known for maintaining his composure on the field. Prasidh's ability to seemingly unsettle the usually calm Root became a significant moment in the day's play.

Aside from the heated exchange, Prasidh Krishna had a successful day with the ball, taking four wickets for 62 runs. His performance helped India restrict England to 247, after they had initially cruised to 129 for 1. Mohammed Siraj also contributed with four wickets, as India fought back to regain control of the match.

Earlier in the day, England's Gus Atkinson took five wickets to dismiss India for 224. England then started their innings strongly, with Zak Crawley (64) and Ben Duckett (43) putting on a quickfire 92 for the opening wicket. However, India's bowlers fought back after lunch, with Prasidh and Siraj leading the charge. At the end of the day, India were 75 for 2 in their second innings, leading by 52 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal remained unbeaten on 51.