Paras Dogra shockingly justifies headbutt incident, refuses to admit wrongdoing
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Jammu and Kashmir captain Paras Dogra has had an eventful final in this edition of the Ranji Trophy. Under his captaincy, Jammu and Kashmir's performance has only improved over the past few editions; however, his on-field actions did offend the other players on Day 2. Dogra has now revealed his take on the issue.
Jammu and Kashmir had never even qualified for the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy; however, working wonders in the latest season, the team under Paras Dogra reached the finals of the competition. They reached the semi-finals, having defeated Madhya Pradesh in the quarter-final, where star pacer Aaqib Nabi picked up a 12-wicket match haul.
They then went on to clash against Bengal in their first-ever Ranji Trophy semi-finals and qualified straight into the finals after having defeated their opponents by a 6-wicket margin. This is a massive opportunity for Jammu and Kashmir to increase their chances of winning the trophy for the first time.
"It was just in a little heat of the moment, not a big thing," Paras Dogra clarifies himself
Jammu & Kashmir's one of the senior-most cricketers, their 41-year-old skipper, was seen engaging in a silly tiff with one of the substitute fielders from the opposition team. However, other than the tiff, what gained more attention was the confrontation between the two players, initiated by Paras Dogra himself.
Karnataka called for a substitute fielder in KV Aneesh, and during the second day's play, when J&K skipper Paras Dogra returned after having left the field on Day 1 with a slight injury, he had a big fight, which made headlines. As Dogra had edged a ball past the slip cordon on Prasidh Krishna's bowling, it led to a few exchanges of words, and he ultimately gave the Karnataka fielder a headbutt, as they both had their helmets on.
"It was just in a little heat of the moment, not a big thing," Dogra said after the day's play. "Yeah, it is all settled now. [...] It was momentary. We started talking and chatting after that, so it's all well," clarified Paras Dogra after the end of Day 2's play.
"Very good, to be honest. We are in a good position. That's what matters to me. All that keeps happening, and especially when you are playing a final or something [like that], a bit of it happens," Paras Dogra added, seemingly happy with his team's performance.
"We can get the result from the first-innings lead as well," said skipper Dogra with an optimistic intent
Dogra came back to bat when Jammu and Kashmir were 4/307, and Abdul Samad got dismissed as their last man. He then put on a 110-run partnership alongside Kanhaiya Wadhawan, as both batters scored 70 runs. Dogra was eventually dismissed by Prasidh Krishna's bowling.
When asked about their strategy, the skipper revealed they do not have any, except for batting as long as they can, since they are aware that Karnataka is a very good batting unit, and despite that, a first-innings advantage can also win them a game.
Paras Dogra scored a constructive 70 runs in the middle-order
During his fine innings of 70-runs that contributed to two partnerships during the middle phase of the innings, he revealed having talks with his fellow player on having a good partnership.
"Let's dig in because this time won't come again. Try to give your best and take the team to a good position," they spoke to themselves.
He also revealed having done a one-hour drill against short-pitched bowling before play could begin on that day. He also praised his team for having put on a valiant effort and for having put a good score on the board.
"I had a talk with Ajay Sharma sir [head coach] and Dishant Yagnik, our fielding coach. In the morning [when] I came, I did a one-hour drill for it [short-pitched bowling]," he revealed.
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