Head-butting Karnataka player KV Aneesh during the second day of play in the Ranji Trophy final in Hubli was minimized by Jammu and Kashmir captain Paras Dogra on Wednesday, who said it wasn’t a “big thing” on the field.
For purposefully head-butting Karnataka’s substitute fielder KV Aneesh, Dogra is expected to be fined half of his match fees.
Shortly after hitting a four off Prasidh Krishna, Dogra got into a heated argument with substitute fielder Aneesh and head-butted him on the helmet.
Words were exchanged on the field as the India pacer squared up the J&K batter, who ultimately fell for 70, with the ball going past the slip cordon.
Although BCCI match referee Narayanan Kutty won’t make an official announcement until the game is over, physical contact with an opposing player will undoubtedly result in penalties and match bans. The doyen of domestic cricket will likely get away with a light sentence in this instance.
Dogra returned on the second day after J&K’s third wicket, Abdul Samad, was dismissed due to injury on the first day. The 41-year-old J&K captain was greeted with a barrage of short balls from Prasidh Krishna, who was in the middle of a blazing spell, and some chirping from the close-in fielders, notably Aneesh, who was positioned at silly-point.
Dogra was squared up as he clumsily repelled a fast-rising delivery from Prasidh in the 101st over of the session. The ball soared through the empty third slip area for a boundary. But after attracting the attention of on-field umpires Rohan Pandit and Ulhas Gandhe, Dogra hurried over to Aneesh, who was fielding close-in while wearing a helmet, and gave him a gentle headbutt.
An irate Karnataka captain, Devdutt Padikkal, was also observed speaking to the umpires after an agitated Mayank Agarwal rushed from his spot and entered the middle, where they got into an argument. Dogra attempted to minimize the event by claiming that it occurred during the “heat of the moment,” even though the details of Aneesh’s alleged sledging were unknown.
Jammu and Kashmir ended the second day of play at 527 for 6, with Dogra scoring 70. Leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal got rid of the J&K captain.
When asked to describe the day that J&K took over and achieved a huge 527/6, PTI quoted Dogra as saying: “Very good, to be honest. We are in a good position.”
“That’s what matters for me. All that keeps happening and especially when you are playing a final or something (like that), a bit of it happens,” he said.
“It was just in a little heat of the moment. Not a big thing. Yeah, it is all settled now. That’s (a hot day) a different thing and it was momentary. We started talking and chatting after that so it’s all well,” Dogra added.
