Day 2 of the final Test between India and England at The Oval wasn’t just about swinging deliveries and tight partnerships—it also saw a flurry of emotions on the field. KL Rahul, one of India’s most senior batters, found himself at the heart of two major incidents that brought plenty of drama to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy decider.
The tension began to simmer during the 22nd over, when Prasidh Krishna delivered a peach to Joe Root—beating the outside edge with a seamer that zipped past the bat. Words were exchanged as Krishna, fired up, let Root know what he thought. Root, unamused, responded with equal aggression.
WATCH – Joe Root and Prasidh Krishna Clash In Heated Exchange During Fifth Test at The Oval
On the very next delivery, Root struck a boundary, which only reignited the tension between the two. The war of words resumed, prompting on-field umpire Kumar Dharmasena to intervene.
pic.twitter.com/ir9Fmzf6gb Dharamsena : Rahul you can’t go that way. Do you want any bowler come and walk to you ?
KL Rahul : What you want us to do ? Just be quiet? Bat ,bowl and go home ?
Dharamsena: we’ll talk about this at the end of the match , you can’t talk like that.
— Ayush¹😎 (@Was_ayushxklr) August 1, 2025
However, Kumar Dharmasena’s stern words were directed solely at Krishna, which didn’t sit well with KL Rahul. The Indian vice-captain immediately walked up to the umpire to express his displeasure. What followed was a rare, animated exchange between a senior Indian player and an ICC Elite Panel umpire, with Rahul visibly irked by what he saw as one-sided officiating.
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Rahul asked pointedly, “What do you want us to do? Be quiet?” Kumar Dharmasena replied, “You will like any bowler come and talk to you? No, you can’t do that.” When Rahul pressed further—“Just bat and ball and go home?”—Dharmasena warned him, saying they would talk after the game and insisted, “You can’t talk like that.”
With emotions running high and the stakes even higher, the incident only added another layer of intensity to a fiercely fought Test series.
