England's assistant coach Marcus Trescothick has condemned Akash Deep's behaviour following the Indian bowler's dismissal of Ben Duckett during the second day at the Oval.
The pace bowler placed his arm around the opener's shoulders whilst accompanying him towards the pavilion, delivering unwanted parting words with a grin.
"There is no need to walk him off in that fashion. Your job is done at that point," Trescothick stated.
The assistant coach expressed bewilderment at the unprecedented gesture, adding: "I don't think I've ever seen a bowler do that after getting someone out. It was strange really."
Tempers flared on multiple occasions during the day, including after Ben Duckett's dismissal as Akash Deep put his arm around the Englishman | GettyThe incident prompted visible frustration in England's dressing room, where television footage captured Trescothick making demonstrative gestures from the balcony as tensions between the sides continued to escalate.
The confrontations occurred amidst a dramatic day featuring 342 runs and 15 wickets, with India securing a 52-run advantage.
Deep's actions followed Duckett's earlier taunt, captured on stump microphones, where the opener declared "you can't get me out" to the Indian bowler.
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Joe Root had an uncharacteristically angry exchange with Prasidh Krishna
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Joe Root found himself embroiled in a heated verbal altercation with Prasidh Krishna, responding furiously to comments from the Indian seamer.
Officials were forced to intervene and caution India regarding their conduct, with Root displaying uncharacteristic anger.
A third flashpoint emerged when Duckett appeared to provoke Sai Sudharsan near the close of play.
These incidents represent the latest in a series of confrontations that began with a dispute over time-wasting at Lord's, intensifying the already charged atmosphere between the sides.
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Trescothick revealed his balcony gestures were part of light-hearted exchanges with colleagues: "We were chatting on the balcony. Many in my time would have just dropped the elbow on him or something quite different. I was just laughing and joking about it.
"I think they made a comment, didn't they? He [Krishna] tried to get after him and spark him up a little bit.
"Joe's normally the kind of guy who laughs and giggles and allows things to happen, but today he chose a different route. Today Joe bit back."
Krishna acknowledged the calculated nature of India's approach, confirming they had intentionally sought to destabilise England's top batsman.
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Prasidh Krishna defended his actions
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"That was the plan, but I didn't really expect the couple of words that I said to get such a big reaction from him," the seamer admitted.
"It was a very small thing. I think it was just a competitive edge amongst us that was coming out. But I love the guy that he is, he's a legend of the game."
Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook endorsed India's strategy on Test Match Special, asking: "Why wouldn't you try to upset Joe Root? His record against India is superb."
He suggested the approach proved effective, noting Root scored just 29 compared to his typical 60-run average against India.
"We're in for some more fireworks. It's not going away for the next three days," Cook predicted.