'If you don't know what he said, don't pass judgement'
Jaiswal defends his response to Fernando confrontation after ICC sanctions.
Yashasvi Jaiswal broke silence on Sunday about his Day 1 clash with Asitha Fernando at Colombo, pushing back against critics who hadn't heard the full exchange. "Don't pass judgement if you don't know what he said," he said — a direct jab at former India cricketers who'd questioned why he'd advanced toward Fernando in the first place.
The ICC had already moved on: both players copped 25 percent fines and a demerit point each after accepting Level 1 sanctions for the headbutt incident. But Jaiswal wasn't done. He made clear this Indian team won't absorb provocation quietly. "We will fight and reply when provoked," he said. The confrontation came after Fernando dismissed him before lunch, and it was sharp enough that the match referee stepped in.
CricHubb Take
Jaiswal's willingness to defend rather than apologize signals a shift in India's on-field approach—not recklessness, but a refusal to be the side that always backs down first.