Mumbai, August 26: Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed his dissatisfaction with the ICC’s penalty imposed on Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sri Lankan fast bowler Asitha Fernando following their altercation during the second Test in Colombo. He warned that leniency in such matters could encourage players to repeat such behavior.
Manjrekar, who has previously raised concerns about players’ misconduct on the field, took to social media platform ‘X’ to voice his apprehensions. He referenced the incident involving Jaiswal along with a recent controversy involving young Indian batsman Vaibhav Suryaanshi.
In his post, Manjrekar wrote, “Dear ICC and BCCI, recently with Vaibhav for India A and now Jaiswal… if you let them get away with such behavior, you are preparing them to repeat it. This is not good for the game and, most importantly, for their own future.”
During the first innings of the Test match in Colombo, Asitha Fernando celebrated aggressively after dismissing Jaiswal and reportedly made comments towards the Indian batsman. As Jaiswal was heading towards the pavilion, he suddenly turned towards Fernando and collided his helmet with the Sri Lankan bowler’s head. Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva had to intervene as the situation escalated.
The ICC subsequently fined both players 25% of their match fees and issued one demerit point for their actions. Following the backlash, Jaiswal later defended his actions. Manjrekar’s comments also drew attention to a recent incident involving 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryaanshi during matches against Sri Lanka A.
After one match, Suryaanshi had a physical confrontation with Sri Lankan player Vishan Halambage. Manjrekar criticized this incident harshly, stating that if he were part of the India A management, he would have excluded Suryaanshi from the next match to send a clear message that physical altercations are unacceptable.
Meanwhile, after a video discussing the incident was posted by commentator Harsha Bhogle on Instagram, Jaiswal responded to the criticism regarding his clash with Fernando. He commented, “If you don’t know what he said, please don’t form an opinion. If someone crosses the line, we need to let them know that India will fight back.”
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