Yashasvi Jaiswal fight: 'Shouldn't have gone so close,' says India batting coach

After Asitha Fernando dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal off the final ball of the 17th over, tensions rose sharply. The incident intensified as Jaiswal, visibly upset, started walking back towards the dressing room. In an animated exchange, Jaiswal suddenly charged toward Fernando, making contact with his head. Fortunately, Sri Lankan players intervened swiftly, separating the players and averting any further escalation.

India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak expressed his belief that Jaiswal should not have approached Fernando so closely, describing the incident as something that occurred in the heat of the moment. Kotak stated, "I think the bowler commented something and it happened in the heat of moment. Obviously Yashasvi shouldn’t have gone so close to him but it happened in the heat of moment."

Similarly, Sri Lanka's bowling coach Ryan van Niekerk downplayed the matter, emphasizing the challenging nature of Test cricket against a strong team like India. He suggested that the challenge was to stay on their feet and create opportunities, rather than focusing on the incident. Both coaches acknowledged that the verbal exchanges following the incident were likely a result of heightened emotions.

The ICC match referee, Andy Pycroft, would ultimately determine the severity of the breach, which could lead to sanctions such as a reprimand, a 50% match fee, or demerit points under Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct.