Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja has slammed Indian opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal for getting into a physical altercation with Sri Lankan pacer Asitha Fernando on Day 1 of the second Test in Colombo.
Speaking exclusively on Sony Sports, Jadeja asserted the Southpaw batter shouldn’t have been involved in a physical altercation, adding that he shouldn’t say anything to batters while fielding if he can’t take it back while he is batting.
“It is dangerous territory. There is no doubt about that. Physical contact is a different thing. In the last match, Jaiswal was on the other side. He was fielding, and he said things to Niroshan Dickwella, and we said that banter is nice as long as there is nothing wrong with your language,” Jadeja said on Sony Sports.
“The same thing happened, but if someone cannot laugh at himself, he shouldn’t laugh at others. If you can’t take it back, don’t say it to others either while standing on the ground,” he added.
On the other hand, former Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad reckoned that Jaiswal went overboard with his actions after his dismissal. While acknowledging that Fernando might have said something, the former pacer noted that Jaiswal shouldn’t have made body contact.
“The referee will definitely look into it. I feel Yashasvi Jaiswal took it too far. He should have just walked. It happens sometimes when you are playing well and get out to a good ball,” Prasad said.
“Also, Jaiswal needed a big innings. Having said that, they might have exchanged a couple of words when he got bowled, but as Jadeja said, he shouldn’t have made it physical, and it looks like Jaiswal took that incident way too far,” Prasad noted.
Delving into the details of the incident, Jaiswal was batting well on 45 when Fernando dismissed him in the 17th over of the first innings. Fernando gave Jaiswal an animated send-off and appeared to exchange words with the batter. While Jaiswal walked away, he later turned back towards the pacer and had physical contact with him.
