Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has called for stronger action against Indian youngsters Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal over their recent on-field confrontations, warning that allowing such behaviour to go unchecked could encourage players to repeat it.Manjrekar’s comments came a day after Jaiswal and Sri Lanka pacer Asitha Fernando were each fined 25 per cent of their match fees and handed one demerit point by the International Cricket Council for their altercation during the second Test in Colombo.
Both players admitted to breaching Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct, relating to inappropriate physical contact.The incident occurred after Fernando dismissed Jaiswal for 45 on the opening day. Fernando appeared to give the Indian opener a send-off, following which Jaiswal turned back and confronted him. The two came face-to-face, with Jaiswal’s helmet making contact with Fernando’s forehead, before players intervened to separate them.For Manjrekar, however, the issue goes beyond the Colombo incident.Drawing a comparison with Sooryavanshi’s confrontation with Sri Lanka A players earlier this year, he questioned the consequences being handed to Indian players for such incidents.”Vaibhav for Ind A recently & now Jaiswal if you keep letting them get away with such behaviour, you train them to repeat such behaviour.
It’s not good for the sport & crucially their own future too,” Manjrekar posted on social media, tagging the ICC and BCCI. Screengrab from X Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had been involved in a heated exchange with Sri Lanka A players after India A lost a Super Over in a tri-series match in Dambulla in June.
The confrontation involved physical contact, with Sooryavanshi appearing
The confrontation involved physical contact, with Sooryavanshi appearing to shove Sri Lanka A’s Vishen Halambage.The incident sparked questions about whether the teenager would face disciplinary action. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, however, said the Indian board had no role in the matter, pointing out that disciplinary decisions in such incidents rested with the match officials and relevant cricketing authorities.
He instead urged the India A players to concentrate on their game rather than get distracted by “collateral issues”.That episode has now acquired a different significance after Jaiswal’s latest confrontation.Jaiswal, meanwhile, has also pushed back against criticism of his conduct. Responding to a Cricbuzz video in which commentator Harsha Bhogle said the best response would have been for him to walk away, Jaiswal wrote: “If you don’t know what he said, then please don’t make your judgment.””If someone crosses the line, we need to let them know.
This India will fight and reply,” he added.Harsha Bhogle had acknowledged that Jaiswal may have been provoked but felt the Indian opener’s combative nature had got the better of him. He stressed that a player of Jaiswal’s ability should not allow such incidents to overshadow his cricket.India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak also offered a measured assessment, suggesting that something may have been said to Jaiswal but adding that the batter should not have gone so close to Fernando.Manjrekar’s point is less about asking players to lose their competitive edge and more about where the line should be drawn.
His concern is that when talented young cricketers are repeatedly allowed to escape consequences for crossing it, the message they receive may be the wrong one.- EndsPublished By: Akshay RameshPublished On: Aug 26, 2026 10:25 IST
Source: www.indiatoday.in
