Joe Root vs Prasidh Krishna, Akesh Deep arm around Ben Duckett

Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj took four wickets each as India fought back in the fifth and deciding Test against England at the Oval on Friday.

England were 1-129 in reply to India’s 224 all out as they threatened to build a substantial first-innings lead.

But they were eventually dismissed for 247, just 23 runs ahead, in a match India must win to end one of the most enthralling series in England since the 2005 Ashes level at 2-2.

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The recalled Krishna had figures of 4-62 in 16 overs and fellow paceman Siraj, ever-present in a gruelling campaign, 4-86 in 16.2.

India were 2-75 in their second innings, a lead of 52 runs, when bad light ended play on the second day, with England a bowler down in the absence of the injured Chris Woakes.

Yashasvi Jaiswal was 51 not out after being dropped twice. The left-handed opener was reprieved on 20 when Harry Brook floored a tough catch at second slip following a loose drive off Gus Atkinson.

And he was missed again on 40 when Liam Dawson failed to sight a catch in the deep and was hit in the face.

Jaiswal cashed in with a 44-ball fifty completed when he uppercut Jamie Overton over the slips for six.

India opener KL Rahul was caught by first slip Joe Root off Josh Tongue before Sai Sudharsan, dropped on seven, was lbw to Atkinson for 11 shortly before stumps.

Earlier, Crawley and Ben Duckett shared a blistering first-wicket stand of 92 in just 13 overs after Atkinson marked his return to Test cricket with a five-wicket haul.

Both openers fell either side of lunch, however, before stand-in England captain Ollie Pope, leading the side in place of the injured Ben Stokes, was lbw to Siraj for 22.

Crawley and Duckett dominated India’s attack, with left-hander Duckett telling Akash Deep “you can’t get me out”.

Deep, however, had Duckett caught behind for 43 off an attempted scoop, then put his arm round the unimpressed batsman’s shoulder and appeared to say a few words as he walked off — a move former England captain Michael Atherton described in commentary as “unnecessary”

“I’m not so sure the bowler should be putting his arm around the bowler having got him out, regardless of whether that is in good spirits or not,” Atherton said on Sky Sports.

“He was rightly dragged away.”

Duckett did not react as he walked off, but Deep had to be pulled away by KL Rahul to stop the row escalating.

England batting coach Marcus Trescothick claimed Deep was lucky not to be elbowed by Duckett after the India bowler’s actions sparked a series of explosive incidents between the feuding sides. The provocative act could be deemed to breach International Cricket Council rules on “inappropriate physical contact”.

Trescothick, who made 76 Test appearances for England from 2000 to 2006, was stunned by Deep’s ‘send-off’ and said the reaction in his playing days would not have been as composed as Duckett’s.

“I was just saying many in my time, a lot of players would have just dropped the elbow on him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bowler do that after getting someone out,” said Trescothick.

“You see bowlers have many words like we’ve seen a bit in this series on both sides. But it was just different wasn’t it? I was just laughing and joking about it.

“Ben doesn’t really do a great deal. Put your head down and walk off, your job is done at that point. There is no need to walk him off in that fashion.”

Deep’s clash with Duckett lit the fuse on the second day of the deciding Test as an increasingly tense rivalry approaches boiling point.

With the animosity rising, England batsman Joe Root responded furiously after an exchange with Prasidh Krishna as he ran between the wickets later in the innings.

Root, who has rarely lost his cool on the pitch, was clearly incensed as he shouted at Krishna.

Following the incident, Rahul got into an argument with umpire Kumar Dharmasena, declaring: “What do you want us to do, keep quiet? What do you want us to do, bat bowl and go home?”

Speaking after the day’s play, Krishna insisted the exchange was just good-natured banter in the heat of the moment.

“It was a very small thing. It was just a combative edge that was coming out. We are good mates off the field. It was just a bit of banter and we both enjoyed it,” he said.

Root was eventually dismissed by Mohammed Siraj for just 29 and Krishna revealed India had been determined to unsettle him with an aggressive approach.

“I think that was the plan but I didn’t think the couple of words I said would get such a big reaction from him,” he said.

“I love the guy, he is a legend of the game. It’s great when two people are out there wanting to do their best.”

Later in the evening session, Sai Sudharsan confronted Duckett following his dismissal, with Brook needing to intervene before Indian batter walked off.

After Duckett’s exit, Crawley holed out off a miscued pull against Krishna for 64, with 56 of those runs coming in boundaries.

Jamie Smith’s edged drive off Krishna well caught by Rahul at second slip and four balls later Overton was lbw for a duck.

Brook struck an extraordinary ‘falling’ sweep for six off Siraj during a 57-ball fifty.

But Siraj bowled him for 53, with Brook the last man out as Woakes was unable to bat.

India, who resumed their first innings on 6-204, lost their last four wickets for just 20 more runs in 5.4 overs on Friday.

The four wickets fell within just six runs and 18 balls.

Atkinson, one of a trio of recalled England quicks following last week’s drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford, took 5-33 in 21.4 overs in a superb return on his Surrey home ground.

“Gus Atkinson can do no wrong in an England shirt,” Sir Alastair Cook said on the BBC.

Karun Nair, 52 not out overnight, had added just five runs to his innings when he was plumb lbw to a straight delivery from Josh Tongue.

India’s 7-218 soon became 8-220 when Sundar, fresh from a maiden Test century at Old Trafford, fell for 26 when he carelessly hooked an Atkinson short ball to Overton at deep square leg.

Sundar sank to his knees in disbelief and Atkinson then polished off the tail, bowling Mohammed Siraj for nought before he ended the innings when Krishna was also out for a duck, caught behind by Smith.