New Delhi: Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has criticised the ICC and the BCCI for their handling of recent disciplinary violations by young players Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal, saying that the two bodies are “training” them to repeat such behaviour by letting them get away with it.
Both Jaiswal and Sooryavanshi have been involved in heated on-field confrontations with the former even defending his actions in the face of criticism.
“Dear @icc & @bcci, 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 wrote on ‘X’.
Manjrekar’s comments came a day after the International Cricket Council (ICC) deducted 25% of match fees and handed one demerit point each to Jaiswal and Sri Lankan pacer Asitha Fernando for their altercation during the second Test in Colombo. Both players admitted guilt to the charge of improper physical contact under Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct.
The incident occurred when Fernando dismissed Jaiswal for 45 on Day 1. After Fernando seemed to give a send-off to the Indian opener, Jaiswal turned around and accosted him. Before teammates interfered to separate the two, Jaiswal’s helmet made contact with Fernando’s forehead as they faced each other. But for Manjrekar, the problem goes beyond what happened in Colombo.
He questioned the penalties imposed on Indian players for such instances, drawing a parallel to Sooryavanshi’s altercation with Sri Lanka A players earlier this year.
“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 ICC and BCCI.
Sri Lanka A cricketers and Sooryavanshi had gotten into a furious argument following India A’s Super Over defeat in a tri-series encounter at Dambulla in June. Vishen Halambage Sri Lanka A was seemingly pushed by Sooryavanshi during the heated altercation.
The incident has raised questions about whether the teenager will face disciplinary action. However, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the Indian board had nothing to do with the matter, saying it was match officials and relevant cricket authorities who had the power to take disciplinary action in such cases. Instead, he advised the India A players to focus on their performance rather than let “collateral issues” divert them.
The relevance of that episode has changed after Jaiswal’s latest altercation.
Meanwhile, Jaiswal has also responded to criticism of his behavior. In response to a Cricbuzz video where analyst Harsha Bhogle stated that walking away would have been the wisest course of action, 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 did concede that Jaiswal could have been riled but he felt that the competitive streak in the Indian opener had gotten the better of him, emphasizing that a player of Jaiswal’s caliber should not let these things overtake his cricket.
India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said in a guarded assessment that Jaiswal might have heard something but he should not have gone so close to Fernando.
