‘He constantly abused him’: Dhruv Jurel reveals what sparked Yashavi Jaiswal’s clash with Asitha Fernando

Jurel exposes Jaiswal Fernando’s confrontation (Image: IANS) The on-field confrontation between Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sri Lankan pacer Asitha Fernando during the second Test in Colombo became one of the highlights of the series. Almost a month after the incident, Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel has revealed what Jaiswal told him about the exchange.The incident occurred during the opening session on the first day of the second test. Batting aggressively on 45, Jaiswal had already hit Fernando for three boundaries in the over before the Sri Lankan pacer dismissed him with the last delivery of the 17th over.Fernando celebrated the goal with an animated dismissal as Jaiswal started to make his way back to the dressing room. However, the Indian soon turned and went back to the Sri Lankan pacer, leading to a heated confrontation.

‘He didn’t say anything’

The two players came face to face in front of their teammates and the Sri Lankan captain to separate them. Jurel has now claimed that Jaiswal told him that Fernando constantly verbally abused him after his release.“When he got out, he quietly went back to the dressing room. He didn’t say anything. If you look at the footage, Jaiswal immediately turned around. The Sri Lankan pacer was abusing him. Jaiswal told me he was abusing him non-stop,” Jurel told former India batsman Aakash Chopra.According to Jurel, Jaiswal had no objection to Fernando celebrating the goal but drew the line at personal abuse.“Jaiswal told him: ‘It’s fine. You took my wicket, you can show normal aggression, but you can’t abuse me,'” added Jurel.

‘It Never Starts’

Jurel, who is also Jaiswal’s teammate at Rajasthan Royals, described the opener as someone who does not generally initiate verbal spats but is willing to react when provoked.When Chopra suggested that Jaiswal is a “wild guy” who fights back when provoked, Jurel agreed.“100 percent. He never starts it; I’ve never seen him do that. He’s always in the zone; he’s always thinking about his bat. But if you provoke us, we’ll get it back, too,” Jurel said.The confrontation eventually required intervention by players from both sides, ending the tense exchange on the pitch. Both Jaiswal and Fernando were subsequently sanctioned by the International Cricket Council for breaching its Code of Conduct following the incident.