Jaiswal and Asitha Fernando clash during second Test in Colombo

On August 23, 2026, during the second Test between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo, Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was involved in a heated on-field exchange with Sri Lankan pacer Asitha Fernando that included body contact and a verbal confrontation.

Jaiswal had begun the match positively after being dismissed for a duck in the second innings of the first Test, providing early momentum for India following KL Rahul’s early dismissal in this game. He produced an initial flurry of boundaries against Fernando before the incident unfolded. The exchange drew attention during the opening session in Colombo.

After conceding three boundaries to Jaiswal, Fernando returned fire with his final delivery, bowling from round the wicket on a length that curved back into the left-handed batter and dismissing him. Jaiswal was given out for 45, removed after his early attacking phase.

Following the dismissal, Jaiswal engaged in an animated exchange with Sri Lankan players; there was body contact as the pair came face to face and exchanged words. Fernando celebrated enthusiastically after removing the set batter.

A social media post accompanying coverage of the moment read, "Naah, that was not required Yashasvi Jaiswal pic.twitter.com/HqDdAZfhO0".

Jaiswal’s wicket proved consequential for India: it was their second dismissal, meaning the side had lost both openers after KL Rahul. At one stage when Jaiswal was batting, India "looked like it was riding the horse racing towards the hundred-run mark; however, after his dismissal, the innings collapsed."

The brief confrontation was one of the notable points in the first session of the opening session in Colombo and drew comment about the boundary between competitive aggression and unnecessary on-field exchanges.

Subhomoy Datta has been a sports writer since 2022. He holds a BSc in Microbiology from Rastraguru Surendranath College, WBSU, and is currently pursuing his master’s at NIT Surathkal; he writes on cricket and turns sporting moments into stories for fans.

Jaiswal had scored 32 runs in the First Test at Galle. He has summed up a total of 2543 runs for India.