‘If you don’t know what he said, don’t pass judgement’: Yashasvi Jaiswal after being told he should have walked away

Yashasvi Jaiswal addressed his headbutt with Asitha Fernando, urging experts to first understand what transpired.

Yashasvi Jaiswal has reacted strongly to his altercation with Sri Lankan pacer Asitha Fernando on Day 1 of the second Test at Colombo on Sunday. Jaiswal and Fernando nearly came to blows, with the Indian batter headbutting the pacer as tempers flared. Jaiswal was given a send-off, which did not go down too well with the opener. An official verdict is yet to arrive on the incident, but given that things got physical, consequences can be expected.

Yashasvi Jaiswal has a go at Asitha Fernando (AP)

Jaiswal was heavily criticised for his behaviour, with several former cricketers slamming the batter for taking matters into his own hands. However, he was in no mood to let the criticism slide.

Replying to a Cricbuzz video in which Harsha Bhogle expressed his disapproval of what transpired, Jaiswal made his thoughts clear, suggesting that no one is in a position to comment unless they know exactly what was said and what words were exchanged.

Here’s what Bhogle said in the video, which was captioned ‘Did Jaiswal cross the line?’:

“As he is walking away, you can hear someone say something to him. I have never been a fan of send-offs. Remember, there is history with Niroshan Dickwella in Galle. So, someone said something to him. The best thing to do in such a situation is to walk away. When he turns and comes back, that’s when everybody comes in. They got a little too close for my comfort. All I want to say to Jaiswal is… yes, maybe what was said should not have been said. But as you give, so you must take. The easiest thing is just to walk away. With Jaiswal, there’s so much talent, but bubbling underneath is a combative person. And the last thing I would want for someone of his extraordinary ability is to let that person override the extraordinary batter that he is and get him into trouble. So, he was provoked, but this is Test match cricket. He provokes as well.”

Jaiswal responded to a video.

As for the Dickwella incident, which Bhogle referred to, the sledging took place during the Galle Test. Jaiswal, stationed at square leg, urged Dickwella to go for another six, as he had in the first innings. Dickwella replied, “No requirement. Take me to the IPL, then I’ll hit.” Jaiswal played along: “We will. Hit him for a six, I’ll take you to the IPL.” The exchange seemed to work, as Dickwella immediately went after a short ball, attempting an aggressive cut, only to edge it through to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

This still wasn’t the first instance of India and Sri Lankan players getting involved in a heated altercation. A couple of months ago, during the A tri-series, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shoved Vishen Halambage as things turned ugly after Sri Lanka won a closely contested Super Over game.