KL Rahul and Kumar Dharmasena engaged in a heated exchange after Rahul defended his teammate Prasidh Krishna during the verbal confrontation with Joe Root.
Heated Moments at The Oval: Tensions Rise Between Joe Root and Prasidh Krishna
Tempers flared again in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy during the second day of the fifth and final Test at The Oval, as Joe Root and Prasidh Krishna clashed on the field. After Root was hit for a boundary, he confronted the Indian pacer, leading to a tense exchange that forced umpires Ahsan Raza and Kumar Dharmasena to step in and mediate.
When KL Rahul stepped in to defend his teammate and questioned umpire Kumar Dharmasena about the incident, the Sri Lankan official was displeased with Rahul’s tone and reprimanded him. Rahul had asked whether the umpire only wanted to see India bat and bowl without engaging in on-field confrontations, but Kumar Dharmasena sided with Root, stating that bowlers should not get too close and exchange words aggressively.
Here is the full chat between Joe Root and on-field umpire Kumar Dharmasena:
Rahul: What do you want us to do? Be quiet?
Dharmasena: You will like any bowler come and walk to you? No, you can’t do that. No, Rahul, we should not go on that way.
Rahul: What do you want us to do? Just bat and bowl and go home?
Dharmasena: We will discuss at the end of the match. You can’t talk like that.
🔥"You want us to just bat, bowl & go home?"🔥
— Nihar Ranjan (@Niharra98749805) August 1, 2025
KL Rahul BLASTS at umpire Dharmasena in fiery defence of Prasidh Krishna! 😤⚡
Tension hits the roof as Rahul says, "What do you want us to do, keep quiet?" 🗣️💥
Captain steps up. Drama unfolds. Cricket gets REAL! 🏏🔥#KLRahul… pic.twitter.com/KaID8ddhda
In the ongoing Test at The Oval, England looked set to dominate after Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett threatened to take control with a 92-run opening partnership. However, Mohammed Siraj showcased his experience by taking four crucial wickets, while Prasidh Krishna also chipped in with four wickets. Together, they helped bundle England out for 245, giving India a slim lead of 23 runs.
At stumps on Day 2, India was 75/2, leading by 52 runs, with Yashasvi Jaiswal unbeaten on 51 and Akash Deep on 4.
Earlier, England won the toss and chose to bowl first. The hosts managed to dismiss India for 224 in their first innings, with Gus Atkinson claiming five wickets.
