ENG vs IND | Twitter thrilled as charged up Rahul confronts Dharmasena for letting Root lambast Krishna

08/01/2025

9906

Umpiring a Test match goes much beyond calling no-balls and adjudging LBW decisions. Officiating red-ball games takes steel to keep egos in check and control the game's flow, a role that can often lead to scuffle with players as was the case for Kumar Dharmasena and KL Rahul at The Oval.

KL Rahul was ready to get into the heat of the battle whenever the opportunity arose for India against England at The Oval

India brought themselves roaring back into the fifth Test at The Oval either side of Lunch on Day 2 as three wickets in quick succession saw England go from 92/0 to 142/3, following a frantic start in pursuit of the visitors' 224. As has been the case for most of the Bazball era, the onus to take the hosts to parity and beyond fell on the shoulders of the top-two ranked batters in the world, Joe Root and Harry Brook. However, with the ball seaming viciously off the deck and Indian bowlers having their tail-up, the lid threatened to blow off the contest any time soon and the watershed moment eventually arrived through Prasidh Krishna's provocation.

The right-arm quick had conceded at over six an over in his first spell but returned with vengeance after Lunch to dispatch Zak Crawley for 64. The momentum carried over to his battle with Joe Root when Krishna delivered an away moving jaffa in his eighth over and followed it up with a cheeky chirp to the squared-up veteran. However, Root was quick to remind the quick of his calibre when he sweetly split the slip cordon with a cut the very next delivery to rack up four runs. More notably though, the 34-year-old hurled quite a verbal barrage at Krishna, annotating his words with fierce head nods and hand gestures. Krishna was visibly upset biut before he could do much, umpire Kumar Dharmasena intervened and sent both men on their way. The move did not sit well with KL Rahul and the batter did not shy from embracing the role of a senior by approaching the Sri Lankan straight away.

"What do you want us to do, keep quiet?" enquired Rahul.

"Do you like when a bowlers comes up and talks to you?" shot back a rhetorical Dharmasena.

"I don't say anything!" a wide-eyed Rahul said with a mix of annoyance and bewilderness.

However, Dharmasena shot down any further arguments with prompts of, "No, no Rahul, please do not talk that way."

Nevertheless, Rahul still had the final say with a fiery, "What do you want us to do, bat bowl and go home?"

The character shown by the Indian veteran to protect his bowler warmed Twitterati hearts.

Umpire not happy

— Why_Benstokes (@benstokes94425)

Some chirping

— Why_Benstokes (@benstokes94425)

Not happy

KL Rahul is not happy with the umpire. 👀
— Kunal Yadav (@Kunal_KLR)

Unhappy

KL Rahul unhappy with the umpires.
— chanchal sarkar (@cricxnews140982)

Why?

Why is Shubman Gill even on the field if KL Rahul has to take charge of the team, man? 😭

He is Captain of this team right?
— Ankur (@cricwithpant2)

We haven't

🔥 "We haven’t come here to just bat and bowl and go home!" – KL Rahul amid the on-field heat. 🗣️🔥

The intent. The attitude. The message is loud and clear. 💪🇮🇳

Team India means business.
— CRIME MASTER GOGO (@crimegogo40)

Looks like that

It feels like KL Rahul is leading the side. In terms of temperament, I think he’s the best in this Indian team.
— allaboutsports (@allsportsfun)

Root is pissed

Root is pissed for some reason, having a chat with umpire and Siraj is right in his face with continuous "Good ball Akash" chants.

Bro is some character 🤣🤣
— Akash (@Akashkumarjha14)

Why