The longstanding Tamil Nadu versus Karnataka rivalry continued without any love lost between players in the opening round of this Ranji Trophy season in Dindigul, where, in a low-scoring thriller, fortunes changed quite frequently before off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham's all-round show proved to be the difference between the two sides.
Meanwhile, as the game ended in Karnataka's favour by 26 runs, Tamil Nadu veteran Dinesh Karthik had a confrontation with opposition skipper Karun Nair; duo exchanged words with each other before Karnataka coaches S Arvind and Yere Goud tried to calm things down.
It is learnt, Karthik wasn't one bit impressed with the excessively appealing and non-stop chatter while his team went about chasing the 181-run target and he let Nair know about it.
"In a Tamil Nadu vs Karnataka game, these things happen. We should be surprised if it doesn’t happen," Tamil Nadu captain Vijay Shankar said after the game.
"It was the way they behaved(that irked Karthik)," added Shankar. "It could also be excessive appealing. Look he is a senior player but sometimes it triggers us. At the end of the day, you need to move on."
In a high-intensity game, it is quite surprising that the usually well-composed and at peace Karthik couldn't control his anger. But one can't blame him much when, earlier in the match, his teammate and similar personality, Murali Vijay, was fined 10% of his match fee for showing dissent at the umpire's decision.
(Inputs from Deccan Herald)
