While social media refused to spare Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after his ugly spat with Sri Lanka A players in Dambulla on Monday, moments after India A’s Super Over defeat, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chose to move on from the controversy. The approach contrasts sharply with that of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), which has reportedly acted against the player who repeatedly taunted Sooryavanshi across two matches in the ongoing tri-nation one-day series.
Speculation had swirled that the BCCI would issue a warning to the 15-year-old after he became involved in a physical altercation at the end of the match. But BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia dismissed any such move.
“We will let our players concentrate on the tournament, and they should not be distracted by any collateral issues,” Saikia told Sportstar.
ALSO READ: Gambhir’s elbow, Kohli’s shoulder barge: 7 infamous Indian cricket flashpoints that ended in fines, bans, controversy
SLC acts against Halambage
The development came amid a Cricbuzz report that SLC had cracked the whip on Vishen Halambage, who was at the centre of the controversy. According to the report, Halambage had repeatedly sledged Sooryavanshi during Monday’s match and had also targeted him in their earlier meeting on June 9 at the same venue.
Pradeep Jeyapragash, the match referee for the India A-Sri Lanka A game, announced sanctions against all players involved in the incident, with Halambage receiving the most severe punishment. The penalties were imposed by SLC, as ICC disciplinary jurisdiction does not apply to this tri-series.
Interestingly, Sri Lanka A wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella, who intervened to separate Sooryavanshi and Halambage during the confrontation, was also fined. However, the report clarified that Dickwella’s sanction related to a separate offence and was not directly connected to the altercation.
What led to the flashpoint?
Earlier reports had claimed that Halambage began trying to get under Sooryavanshi’s skin from the June 9 game itself and intensified the sledging on Monday, particularly when the Indian opener walked out to bat in the Super Over.
“Go home, this is not the IPL,” was among the remarks allegedly directed at Sooryavanshi.
Cricbuzz also reported that several members of the Sri Lanka A camp were unhappy that the post-match scenes had overshadowed their dramatic victory over India A. Whether any formal apology was eventually conveyed to the Indian team remains unclear.