Jammu and Kashmir captain Paras Dogra is set to be fined 50 percent of his match fees for allegedly head-butting Karnataka substitute fielder KV Aneesh during a heated second day of the Ranji Trophy final on Wednesday.
While an official announcement from BCCI match referee Narayanan Kutty is expected after the conclusion of the match, physical altercations with opposition players generally attract financial penalties and, in some cases, suspensions. However, in this instance, the veteran batter is likely to escape with a monetary fine.
Dogra, who had retired hurt on 9 on Day 1, resumed his innings on the second day after Abdul Samad’s dismissal. He was tested by a fiery spell from Karnataka pacer Prasidh Krishna, who bowled a series of short-pitched deliveries, accompanied by verbal exchanges from close-in fielders — including Aneesh at silly point.
The flashpoint occurred in the 101st over when Dogra fended off a sharply rising delivery from Prasidh that flew through the vacant third-slip region for four. Moments later, after drawing the attention of on-field umpires Rohan Pandit and Ulhas Gandhe, Dogra walked up to Aneesh and gently head-butted him. Aneesh, who was wearing a helmet while fielding close in, appeared largely unfazed.
Karnataka’s Mayank Agarwal rushed in as tempers flared, while skipper Devdutt Padikkal was seen engaging in discussions with the umpires.
Details of the alleged sledging remain unclear, but Dogra later downplayed the incident, describing it as something that happened in the “heat of the moment.”
Despite the controversy, the 41-year-old went on to score 70 before being dismissed by leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal, as Jammu and Kashmir ended Day 2 strongly at 527 for 6.
