‘They should not be distracted by collateral issues’ – BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia reacts to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s altercation in Sri Lanka

Devajit Saikia. (Photo Source: Twitter/X)

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia has ruled out any reprimand for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after the 15-year-old pushed a Sri Lankan player during the tri-series.

The incident happened after India A lost the Super Over to Sri Lanka A on Monday, June 15, at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. Sooryavanshi needed to score 14 runs off the last three balls to take India A to victory. The southpaw tried hard but couldn’t take his team over the line.

After the match concluded, as the Indian batters Suryansh Shedge and Sooryavanshi were making their way back to the pavilion, the former lost his cool and confronted the celebrating Sri Lankan players. Sooryavanshi also became part of the argy-bargy and eventually pushed Vishen Halambage, who had reportedly been sledging the Indian teenager since he set foot on Sri Lankan soil.

“We will let our players concentrate on the tournament, and they should not be distracted by any collateral issues,” Saikia told Sportstar.

Meanwhile, Halambage has reportedly been fined by Sri Lanka Cricket for his role in the post-match altercation. As per Cricbuzz, match referee Pradeep Jeyapragash imposed the sanction based on the umpires’ reports, without a formal disciplinary hearing.

Sooryavanshi has received severe criticism on social media, with a section of fans proposing that he should be fined for putting his hands on a fellow player. However, some sections of fans and former cricketers have also backed the youngster, including India’s spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule.

“He will learn, he is a young kid with a lot of responsibility of representing India. I’m sure he will not repeat it, and such incidents can be avoided,” the former Mumbai captain was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

India A are currently playing an important game against Afghanistan A in Dambulla on Wednesday, June 17. A defeat in this fixture would knock India out of the tournament, setting up a final between Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A.

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