India's Yashasvi Jaiswal, second right, and Sri Lanka's Asitha Fernando (78) exchange words during day one of the second cricket test match between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissal and his heated exchange with fast bowler Asitha Fernando was among the more talked-about incidents on an eventful first day of the second Test between India and Sri Lanka. India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said at the end of the day’s play that while Jaiswal may have been provoked by one of the Sri Lankans, the opener shouldn’t have gone so close to Fernando.At the same time, though, he said that it is something that happens in the heat of the moment in Test cricket, an opinion that was echoed by Sri Lanka fast bowling coach Ryan van Niekerk. “I think maybe one of the bowlers may have commented something, and it was a heat-of-the-moment thing. Obviously, Jaiswal, I don’t think he should have gone so close, but that happens in the heat of the moment,” said Kotak.Van Niekerk said that he has asked the bowlers to “stand up and create something” but said that he leaves the matter at hand to the judgement of the match referee. “Look it is hard Test cricket, isn’t it? When you’re coming up against a team like India, you can’t sit on the back foot and just bowl at them. I think from our side, it’s bringing the challenge all the time, trying to make sure we can create something,” Ryan van Niekerk said.“And so, from my point of view, I’ve really asked the bowlers to stand up and create something. The verbals are probably an overflow of emotion. I’ll leave that to the match referee to deal with,” he added.The incident occurred moments after Fernando ended Jaiswal’s promising stay at the crease. The Indian opener had struck three boundaries in the over before Fernando produced a delivery that beat his defence and clattered into his stumps, sending him back to the pavilion.As Jaiswal began walking back, he turned around and approached Fernando. The two exchanged words before moving extremely close to each other, and then Jaiswal headbutted the Sri Lankan pacer. Players from both sides quickly intervened to prevent the confrontation from escalating, after which Jaiswal continued towards the dressing room.Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.Tags:Yashasvi jaiswal