Ranji Trophy final | A headbutt, an apology, and an all is well: the events that transpired between Dogra and Aneesh

One of the defining images of the 2006 FIFA World Cup was that of French captain Zinedine Zidane headbutting Italian Marco Materazzi in the final in Berlin.

A poor man’s version of the same played out on Wednesday in the Ranji Trophy final here when Jammu & Kashmir skipper Paras Dogra clashed with Karnataka’s K.V. Aneesh. Zidane’s act was raw and savage. Dogra’s, coming as it did in the ‘gentlemen’s game’, only involved a not-so-forceful, helmet-to-helmet touch.

Zidane was handed a three-match ban and was asked to spend three days doing community service. Dogra, at the most, will cop a hefty fine.

Cricket has seen a fair share of shoulder barges – there was one between Kanhaiya Wadhawan and V. Vyshak too on Wednesday – and stare downs. But a headbutt is as scarce as a hen’s teeth.

The incident occurred in the 14th over of the morning when Dogra got a streaky boundary past gully after awkwardly fending off a short-pitched delivery from Prasidh Krishna. Something that substitute Aneesh uttered from silly-point appeared to have irked Dogra, and the burly man went charging at the Karnataka player, who is 16 years and eight months his junior.

Jammu & Kashmir captain Paras Dogra interacts with the field umpires.
| Photo Credit:
K. MURALI KUMAR

Mayank Agarwal, 35 and until recently the Karnataka skipper, stepped in and seemingly warned Dogra that a headbutt had no place in cricket.

The umpires then spoke both to Dogra and the home captain Devdutt Padikkal to defuse the tension, and Dogra was even seen putting up his hand apologetically.

There was no confirmation if the apology was accepted immediately, but both Dogra and Wadhawan said that all was well.

“It was nothing; it just happened in the heat of the moment,” Dogra told reporters after play. “It’s not a big thing. It’s all settled now.”

Big or small, it was certainly rarest of rare.