HUBBALLI: Even as Karnataka bowlers toiled on a wicket without juice, their contest against the Jammu and Kashmir batters wasn’t without spice. On Tuesday, the opening day of the Ranji Trophy final, there was no shortage of fierce looks and verbal exchanges between the two sides. The tension carried into Wednesday’s play.
Though cloud cover brought some relief from the heat, tempers flared midway through the day when J&K skipper
Paras Dogra got into a heated exchange with Karnataka substitute fielder KV Aneesh. Stationed at silly point, Aneesh had been vocal for a while. In the 101st over, just after Dogra had edged pacer Prasidh Krishna for boundary, he got into an altercation with Aneesh and in the heat of the moment headed the fielder’s helmet with his own.
Senior Karnataka batter Mayank Agarwal moved swiftly to defuse the situation, stepping between the two players and urging Dogra to back away.
The umpires intervened while other Karnataka players, including skipper Devdutt Padikkal, joined the discussion.
Dogra soon offered an apology, which Aneesh didn’t appear to have accepted. There was another flashpoint later when Vyshak Vijaykumar and Kanhaiya Wadhawan brushed shoulders during a brief exchange.
Wadhawan later described the incidents as part of the natural intensity of a high-stakes contest. “Sledging happened from both sides, but nothing intentional and we sorted it immediately,” he said.
Dogra, who is likely to face disciplinary action for the helmet clash, played down the incident. “It was just a little heat of the moment, not a big thing. It’s all settled now. We all need a cooler there.”
‘WE ARE IN A GOOD POSITION’
Dogra, who scored a gritty 70, said the first-time finalists were satisfied with the position they had built. “We are in a good position and that’s what matters for us. We haven’t seen a target because we can get the result from the first innings lead. So we will try to bat as long as we can,” he said.
Get the latest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 updates, including the full schedule, teams, live scores, points table, and key series stats such as top run-scorers and wicket-takers.Manuja Veerappa, Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India, h...
Read MoreManuja Veerappa, Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India, has dedicated over half of her 22-year journalism career to the publication. Specializing in
cricket and hockey, she has covered major sporting events including World Cups, the Commonwealth Games, and world championships in billiards and snooker.
Known for her compelling human-interest stories, she has traveled extensively across Karnataka to spotlight untold talent and their journeys. An internationally
published sportswriter and former national-level hockey player for Karnataka, Manuja is a true-blue Bengalurean who also writes on the city’s culture and life, blending deep reporting with a passion for storytelling.
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