How Jaiswal sledged out Dickwella: Paddy Upton explains sledging

In the final day of the Test match in Galle, Niroshan Dickwella stepped up to the crease after a lacklustre partnership between Dhananjaya de Silva and Sonal Dinusha. Indian fielders quickly began teasing Dickwella, who was accustomed to such banter. In a crucial moment, Jaiswal, who was standing at square leg, encouraged Dickwella to hit sixes, much like he had in the previous innings.

The exchange continued, with Jaiswal jokingly promising to take Dickwella to the IPL. Following the exchange, Dickwella made an unnecessary shot, edging a short ball to Indian keeper Rishabh Pant. Paddy Upton, the Indian team's mental conditioning and strategic leadership coach, explained the dynamics of sledging in Test cricket.

He emphasized the importance of the comment's nature, the speaker's persona, and the batsman being targeted. Upton noted that banter often occurs during the brief gap between deliveries when a batsman tries to switch off and focus on the ball. Modern-day Indian players are more comfortable with banter, largely due to their exposure to impulsive and cheeky behavior on social media.

Upton believes that in the past, Indian players gave opponents too much respect, but this changed once Virat Kohli started standing up for his team. Some batters thrive under pressure, while others succumb to it, and Upton urged players not to cross the line into abuse, as it can have lasting negative consequences on their character.