Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal faces a potential ICC Code of Conduct breach after a heated physical altercation with Sri Lankan pacer Asitha Fernando during the second Test match, prompting an investigation by the match referee.
IMAGE: Yashasvi Jaiswal and Asitha Fernando came face-to-face and exchanged a few words after the former’s dismissal on Day 1 of the second Test in Colombo on Sunday. Photograph: Screen Grab via X
Key Points
- Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was involved in a tense altercation with Sri Lankan pacer Asitha Fernando.
- The incident included physical contact, with Jaiswal’s helmet touching Fernando’s forehead after Jaiswal’s dismissal.
- India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak admitted Jaiswal should not have made body contact, attributing it to the ‘heat of the moment’.
- Match referee Andy Pycroft is expected to investigate the incident under ICC Article 2.12 for ‘inappropriate physical contact’.
- Potential penalties for Jaiswal could range from an official reprimand to a fine and demerit points.
Yashasvi Jaiswal on Sunday brought himself within the ambit of ICC’s Code of Conduct breach while engaging in a tense altercation with Asitha Fernando, during which the Indian opener’s helmet made contact with Sri Lankan pacer’s forehead.
India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak thought the incident might have happened in the “heat of the moment” but maintained that Jaiswal should not have made body contact with the opposition player.
“I think they must have said something to him and it might have happened in the heat of the moment. Obviously, Jaiswal, I don’t think he should have been so close (to Fernando), but that happens when you are in the heat of the moment,” Kotak said in the post-day press conference.
Details Of The On-Field Confrontation
The fracas took place immediately after Fernando dismissed Jaiswal (45) with a lovely nip-backer in the first session of the second Test here at the SSC ground.
As the left-hander was walking off the ground, Fernando gave him a send-off, prompting Jaiswal to turn back to confront the latter.
Jaiswal’s helmet touched Fernando’s forehead as the two players were seen engaged in a heated verbal battle, before Lankan skipper Dhananjaya de Silva intervened to disperse both the players.
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Potential ICC Sanctions For Jaiswal
Sri Lanka’s fast bowling coach Ryan van Niekerk said it’s the duty of match referee, in this case Andy Pycroft, to look into such things.
“The verbals are probably an overflow of emotion. I’ll leave that to the match referee to deal with,” he said.
In this case, Pycroft might invoke Article 2.12, which deals with “inappropriate physical contact” with another player during an international match.
If proved Jaiswal is indeed guilty, then the punishment (for a Level 1 offence) could range from an official reprimand to 50 percent of the match fee and 1 or 2 demerit points.
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