Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s physical altercation with Vishen Halambage during India A vs Afghanistan A on June 15 has caused quite the stir. The 15-year-old was at the receiving end of sledging during the match in Dambulla and finally cracked after India A lost in the Super Over.
India coach speaks on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s fight
During the customary post-match handshake, Halambage reportedly told Sooryavanshi. “Go home. This is not the IPL.” The 15-year-old lost his cool and charged at the Sri Lankan all-rounder, with both pushing each other. The players intervened and separated them to ensure things didn’t get out of hand.
On the eve of the India vs Afghanistan 2nd ODI, India’s spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule was asked about the incident, considering Sooryavanshi will fly to Ireland with Team India after the tri-series and Afghanistan series end. Bahutule believes Sooryavanshi and all the players involved from both sides need to be educated about their conduct on the field.
Hrishikesh Kanitkar has travelled with India A as their head coach, a position he has held since May 2025, and Bahutule trusts the former India batter to guide the teenager regarding his conduct. He can’t be allowed to retaliate physically against the opposition under any circumstances.
“I think it was an unfortunate incident. But we don’t know how he was provoked. Because as far as I know Vaibhav, he is a very composed boy. I’m sure there are experienced coaches there who will make him understand. And I think the Sri Lankan players should also be educated in terms of how they need to behave. And so does it go with us (India A). We will make sure that information is given to him as to why that happened. But he will learn. He’s a young kid and going forward, some sort of understanding will be there with him. I’m sure he will not repeat it,” Bahutule told reporters in Lucknow.
In the meantime, according to Cricbuzz, senior Sri Lanka A players discussed the matter in the dressing room after the match and have reached out to India A and Sooryavanshi, expressing their regret over the incident. It’s believed that Halambage, in particular, sledged Sooryavanshi on June 9 as well, when both teams had faced off in the tri-series opener.
No action from BCCI
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia has confirmed that the board won’t take any action against Sooryavanshi or other India A players. The team management isn’t pleased with his conduct but won’t take action during the tri-series. “We will let our players concentrate on the tournament, and they should not be distracted by any collateral issues,” Saikia told Sportstar.
Will ICC punish Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?
Until now, there’s been no official word from the ICC on the incident. However, match referee Pradeep Jeyaprakashdaran will take the decision soon. Sooryavanshi breached Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct since he made ‘inappropriate physical contact with a player, player support personnel, umpire, match referee or any other person (including a spectator) during an international match.’
Sooryavanshi’s transgression resulted in him receiving a 50% fine of his match fee and two demerit points. The same could be applied to Halambage. Meanwhile, Tilak Varma, who argued with the on-field umpires on multiple occasions during the match, might be punished as well.
