Duleep Trophy 2022: "No hatred" - Chintan Gaja poses with Venkatesh Iyer after his throw hits the batter on the neck during 1st semi-final

Venkatesh Iyer was hit on the neck after Chintan Gaja attempted to throw the ball towards the stumps during the ongoing first semi-final of the Duleep Trophy 2022 on Friday, September 16.

Gaja recently took to his Instagram account to share a picture with Iyer. The pacer, in his caption, mentioned that there was no love lost between the two cricketers due to the incident.

He captioned the post:

"All love no hatred ❤️"

The incident took place on Day 2 of the knockout fixture between Central Zone and West Zone in Coimbatore. Venkatesh Iyer seemed to be in a lot of pain after receiving the blow, resulting in a doctor rushing to the ground in an ambulance.

The left-handed batter had to retire hurt after being hit. However, he returned to bat later in the innings and managed 14 runs off nine deliveries before being dismissed.

Gaja, who made his Duleep Trophy debut against North East Zone earlier this month, was one of the top performers with the ball in the first quarter-final, picking up four crucial wickets in the encounter.

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"It was a shock initially, but I am absolutely fine" - Venkatesh Iyer on being hit by Chintan Gaja's throw

The Central Zone batter was taken to a local hospital for customary scans after being hit on the neck. Much to the delight of his fans, Iyer later asserted that he has been doing fine.

In his conversation with Cricbuzz, the all-rounder revealed that he was hit just below the neck. Iyer, however, did not confirm if he would be able to bat during his team's second essay, suggesting that he is still under observation.

Venkatesh Iyer said:

"I was hit below my ear. It was a shock initially but I am absolutely fine. I don't know, I have been kept under 24-hour observation. I will have to see how things go.”

West Zone have the upper hand over Central Zone in the contest at the end of Day 3. Central Zone, who are 33/2, have an uphill task of scoring another 468 runs to win the first semi-final of the Duleep Trophy.