Dodda Ganesh backs Sanjay Manjrekar’s plea to ICC, BCCI over physical altercations going underpunished

Former cricketer Dodda Ganesh has come in support of Sanjay Manjrekar, claiming that his plea to the International Cricket Council and the Board of Control for Cricket in India over underpunishment for physical altercations in the sport is absolutely spot on.

Manjrekar addressed his post on X directly to the ICC and the BCCI, warning that if players are kept letting them get away with such behaviour, you train them to repeat such behaviour. Manjrekar referenced two recent incidents in his post, naming Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the India-A encounter and Yashasvi Jaiswal in the ongoing Colombo Test, both of whom he said escaped without a match ban.

Ganesh quote-tweeted Manjrekar and backed the former batter, saying that there is no reason the latter should be trolled. He pointed to two specific incidents as examples of what he considered lenient sanctions. He cited Paras Dogra head-butting Karnataka’s K Aneesh in the Ranji Trophy finals, for which Dogra reportedly received only a fine. He also referenced the Jaiswal incident, noting that Jaiswal too escaped with only a fine, and warned that such outcomes could set a precedent leading to fistfights on the field.

The Jaiswal incident that both former cricketers referenced took place on Day 1 of the second Test between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo on August 24, 2026. In the 17th over of India’s first innings, Asitha Fernando dismissed Jaiswal. Jaiswal walked towards Fernando, words were exchanged, Fernando moved his head towards Jaiswal, and Jaiswal leant in, resulting in heads making contact.

Jaiswal and Fernando sanctioned after Colombo altercation

Match Referee Andy Pycroft of the ICC Elite Panel proposed sanctions against both players. Jaiswal and Fernando were each fined 25% of their match fee and handed one demerit point each. Both players admitted the offence and accepted the sanctions, meaning no formal hearing was required. The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, third umpire Rod Tucker, and fourth umpire Prageeth Rambukwella.

Both players were found to have breached Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which covers inappropriate physical contact with a player, player support personnel, umpire, match referee or any other person. This was the first recorded offence for both Jaiswal and Fernando within a 24-month rolling period. Jaiswal’s fine was reported as approximately Rs 3.75 lakh.

Before Day 2 play in Colombo, Jaiswal addressed the incident.

“If you don’t know what he said, then please don’t make your judgement. If anyone crosses the line, we need to let them know this India will fight and reply,” Jaiswal had commented under an Instagram post featuring Harsha Bhogle.

With Ganesh and Manjrekar both calling on cricket’s governing bodies to consider stronger measures, the conversation around whether fines alone serve as an adequate deterrent for on-field physical altercations is likely to continue as the series progresses.