Sarfaraz Khan sledges Dhananjaya de Silva while substituting for India on Day 3 in Colombo

Sarfaraz Khan, acting as a substitute fielder for India on Day 3 of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo on August 25, 2026, engaged in a verbal exchange with Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva that preceded the captain's dismissal. Sarfaraz had come on for the injured Rishabh Pant and was notably vocal from his fielding position.

Known for an animated presence on the field, Sarfaraz was constantly talking to the batters and his behaviour coincided with two quick wickets for Sri Lanka. Those dismissals involved captain Dhananjaya de Silva and wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella. A Sony Sports Network tweet on August 25 underlined the moment with the message: "500 runs on the board. 5,000 words from Sarfaraz Khan. Watch #SLvIND 2nd Test, LIVE NOW on Sony Sports Network TV channels & Sony LIV.#SonySportsNetwork #SonyLIV #BeautifulGameOfTestCricket pic.twitter.com/6MPlFveSUe— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) August 25, 2026."

The interaction with Dhananjaya unfolded just before Manav Suthar began his delivery stride, when movement behind the bowler's arm prompted the Sri Lankan captain to pull away and temporarily halt play. Stationed at short leg, Sarfaraz took the pause as an opportunity to engage Dhananjaya with on-field banter aimed at speeding the game along.

Sarfaraz's words were captured on the stump microphone: “Nothing is there, bro. You are looking there. You are just wasting time, bro. Don't be scared. You are the captain. Come on, bro," he was heard as saying on the stump mic. "Why are you worried about that side. Look straight," he added.

The verbal exchange was followed by a breakthrough a few deliveries later. On the fifth ball of the 35th over, Suthar dismissed Dhananjaya with a flighted ball around middle stump; the right-hander offered a defensive shot that produced a faint outside edge which brushed past Dhruv Jurel's gloves and carried to the slip fielder, ending the captain's innings.

Sarfaraz also engaged in similar exchanges with Niroshan Dickwella and the two were seen laughing on the field; Dickwella, however, went on to lose his wicket cheaply. Those interactions were part of a period in which Sri Lanka's batting collapsed into two swift dismissals.

India ended the day with a lead of 238 runs as Sri Lanka have scored 265 runs for the loss of eight wickets.