Jammu and Kashmir captain Paras Dogra is facing a fine amounting to 50 percent of his match fees for deliberately head-butting Karnataka’s substitute fielder KV Aneesh during a heated second day of the
Ranji Trophy final on Wednesday.
Although the official announcement from BCCI match referee Narayanan Kutty will be made after the conclusion of the game, physical altercations with opposition players typically result in penalties and match bans. In this instance, the seasoned domestic cricket player is likely to receive only a minor punishment.
Dogra, who had retired hurt on 9 during the first day, returned to the crease on the second day after the third wicket fell for J&K, with Abdul Samad departing.
Prasidh Krishna, delivering an intense spell, greeted the 41-year-old J&K skipper with a series of short-pitched balls and some verbal exchanges from the close-in fielders, including Aneesh positioned at silly-point.
In the 101st over of the innings, Dogra struggled against a sharply rising delivery from Prasidh, resulting in the ball gliding through the unguarded third slip region for a boundary.
However, the incident escalated when Dogra, after attracting the attention of on-field umpires Rohan Pandit and Ulhas Gandhe, approached Aneesh and gently head-butted him. Aneesh, who was also wearing a helmet while fielding close to the bat, appeared unfazed.
An animated Mayank Agarwal sprinted over from his position, leading to a confrontation, while Karnataka skipper Devdutt Padikkal was also seen discussing the matter with the umpires.
The specifics of the alleged sledging by Aneesh remain unclear, but Dogra minimised the incident, attributing it to the “heat of the moment.”
Dogra went on to score 70 as Jammu and Kashmir ended the second day at 527 for 6, with leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal eventually dismissing the J&K skipper.
(With PTI Inputs)
