Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sri Lankan fast bowler Asitha Fernando have been fined 25% of their match fees for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the second Test.
The incident took place at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground on Sunday morning, in the first session, after Jaiswal was dismissed by Fernando.
The two players were then involved in a heated exchange, with words being exchanged before they stood close to each other and faced off. During the confrontation, Jaiswal's helmet appeared to make contact with Asitha Fernando's head before other players eventually stepped in and pulled the pair apart.
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While the team management of both sides downplayed the incident, the International Cricket Council stepped in and imposed sanctions on the two players.
Apart from the fine, one demerit point each has also been added to the disciplinary records of Jaiswal and Fernando.
In a statement, the ICC stated: “Both players were found to have breached Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to ‘inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other person."
"In addition to this (the fine), one demerit point each has been added to the disciplinary records of (Asitha) Fernando and Jaiswal. Both players admitted the offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Andy Pycroft (match-referee).”
The sanctions were imposed after the Indian opener and the Sri Lankan seamer admitted the offences following their confrontation during the second Test.
Apart from the on-field incident, the 24-year-old opener has also been in the news since Monday morning after commenting on a video posted by Cricbuzz on Instagram, in which veteran cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle was analysing the entire Jaiswal-Fernando incident.
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“While the send-off may have been unnecessary and Jaiswal was clearly provoked, the best response would have been to simply walk away,” Bhogle said on Cricbuzz.
He also cautioned that Jaiswal's aggressive style sometimes gets the better of him and the youngster has to be ready to face the same kind of aggression that he brings to the game.
But Jaiswal was obviously not convinced. In response to Bhogle's comments in a social media post, he stated, “If you don't know what he said then please don't make your judgment. If anyone cross the line we need to let them know this India will fight and reply.”
India's batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak, also gave his view, labelled the incident as a “heat-of-the-moment” situation after the day's play on Sunday, but added that Jaiswal should not have gone so close to Fernando.
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