The Ranji Trophy final between Jammu & Kashmir and Karnataka took an ugly turn when J&K captain Paras Dogra lost his cool and headbutted the opposition fielder early on Day 2 at the Hubli Cricket Ground on Wednesday. The incident occurred in the 101st over of J&K’s innings, when Dogra and Kanhaiya Wadhawan were in the middle of a promising partnership, keeping J&K’s progress steady. After Dogra edged a delivery from Prasidh Krishna for four, a few words were exchanged between the J&K captain and substitute fielder KV Aneesh at forward short leg. Dogra straightaway charged at Aneesh, headbutted him with his helmet, before Mayank Agarwal intervened. It is believed that Aneesh’s constant sledging triggered Dogra.
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Things escalated, and the umpires had to intervene. Immediately after the over, Dogra apologised, but Aneesh was having none of it and outrightly rejected it. Agarwal and KL Rahul, who were fielding nearby, then unleashed a barrage of verbal volleys at Dogra, chirping away at him incessantly. Earlier, on Day 1, a rising bouncer from Vyshak Vijaykumar struck Dogra on the glove, forcing him to retire hurt on 9 off 48 balls on the opening day.
Watch the incident below:
Another heated run-in
This wasn’t all. Another incident took place soon after, this time between pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak and Wadhawan. As the batter took off for a single, his left elbow brushed past the pacer en route to a single. The two players came face to face before Vyshak was pushed away by the umpire and one of his teammates. Dogra, meanwhile, at the other end, passed on a wry smile.
“This is one Wadhawan because Vyshak did not move from his position. No, the rule is that Vyshak, in his follow-through, will remain in his position and that the batter needs to change his route,” said the commentator.
J&K continue to bat themselves to a position of authority, reaching 350 with six wickets left. Earlier on Day 1, Shubham Pundir set the tempo with an exceptional innings of 121. Half-centuries from Yawer Hassan (88) and Abdul Samad (61) propelled J&K further in their maiden Ranji Trophy final.
Dogra scales Mount 10K
Not too long ago, Dogra, 41, became only the second player in the history of the Ranji Trophy to complete 10000 runs. He achieved this milestone in the semi-final against Bengal, to give Wasim Jaffer some elite company. Dogra is a domestic veteran and a behemoth, now playing his 27th Ranji Trophy season. After spending 17 years with Himachal Pradesh, Dogra made a switch to Puducherry ahead of the 2018-19 season before switching base to J&K last year, and as captain, has led from the front, scoring 551 runs from nine matches.
“This year, I think Paras Dogra’s inclusion made a big difference. His experience and leadership helped the team immensely. A side always needs a strong, experienced leader, and Paras Bhai handled the team very well. His presence brought stability and belief in crucial moments. Looking ahead, this is a very positive sign for J&K cricket. The younger players are now learning what it takes to compete at this level,” former J&K captain Parvez Rasool tells The Hindustan Times Digital.
