IND vs ENG: Why was KL Rahul angry with Umpire Kumar Dharmasena? Footage Shows verbal spat

During the fifth and final Test between India and England at The Oval, a heated verbal exchange took place between Indian batsman KL Rahul and Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena on Day 2.

The incident occurred in the 22nd over of the English first innings following an on-field spat between Joe Root and Indian bowler Prasidh Krishna.

Prasidh Krishna had dismissed Zak Crawley and was chirping at Joe Root, who then retaliated. After this, Dharmasena had a long conversation with Krishna and India's captain Shubman Gill. KL Rahul approached the umpire to intervene and asked, "What, do you want us to be quiet?"

Dharmasena responded firmly, "Will you like any bowler come and talk to you like that? No, you can't do that. No Rahul, we should not go that way."

Rahul then questioned, "What do you want us to do? Just bat and bowl and go home?" This provoked a stern reply from Dharmasena: "We'll discuss that at the end of the match. You can't talk like that." The umpires took the incident seriously enough to ask KL Rahul to meet post-match for a discussion about his tone during the exchange.

This confrontation unfolded amid an already feisty match atmosphere, with actions like Rahul earlier pulling Akash Deep away from England's Ben Duckett during a tense moment.

IND vs ENG: Kumar Dharmasena Howler with LBW Appeal

Earlier in the match on Day 1, Dharmasena was involved in a controversy when he signalled to the England players that there was an inside edge after rejecting a strong LBW appeal against Indian batsman B Sai Sudharsan.

Dharmasena shook his head to deny the LBW but simultaneously gestured with his fingers, indicating an inside edge. This gesture effectively prevented England from using a DRS review on the appeal, as the umpire's signal was interpreted as confirmation that the ball had touched the bat. Replays later confirmed a faint inside edge did occur, but the controversy arose because the umpires are not allowed to communicate the reason behind their decisions while players still have the option for a review.