India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said that Yashasvi Jaiswal shouldn’t have gone so close to Asitha Fernando, but added that these things happen in the heat of the moment. Jaiswal was involved in a heated exchange with Fernando during Day 1 of the second Test in Colombo.

Asitha clean bowled Jaiswal after being hit for three fours in the over. As the southpaw walked back, he was triggered by something the pacer said to him, and he returned to confront Fernando. Things got tense when the two players nearly clashed heads, before other players separated the two and asked Yashasvi Jaiswal to go.

“I think the bowler commented something and it happened in the heat of the moment. Obviously Jaiswal shouldn’t have gone so close to him but it happened in the heat of the moment,” Sitanshu Kotak said.

“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.

ICC has sanctions for send offs and inappropriate physical contact; Jaiswal and Fernando could face sanctions from the apex body.

Meanwhile, India find themselves on top at stumps on Day 1, with the team ending the day at 300-5, courtesy of the second century of the series by Devdutt Padikkal and a fifty by captain Shubman Gill.