Reports: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi got sledged by Vishen Halambage since start of the series

India’s young 15-year-old prodigy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, was involved in a heated exchange with Sri Lankan cricketer Vishen Halambage during the Sri Lanka A vs India A clash at Dambulla on June 15. 

After India had lost the game in the Super Over, Sooryavanshi and fellow batter Suryansh Shedge were seen to be engaged in a heated exchange with the Sri Lankan team, following which the young southpaw pushed Halambage, which saw matters get even more intense, before wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella diffused the situation. 

In a further development, as reported by Cricbuzz, it has been stated that Halambage had been trying to get under the skin of the young southpaw since the first game on June 9. India won that match in dramatic fashion by eight runs, holding their nerve to defend a total of 278.

It has been reported that Halambage had been sledging Sooryavanshi during the second game as well, when India were batting, which continued into the Super Over. The 21-year-old reportedly jibed the Indian batter about his participation in the IPL, saying, ‘Go home; this is not the IPL’, and made similar provocative remarks along those lines.

Further reports mention that a few senior Sri Lankan players who know the young starlet through the IPL have approached him to express their regret over the incident. It was also stated that certain members of the Sri Lanka A team believed that they should apologise to the Indians. It was unclear whether such an apology was conveyed to the Indian team or to the player, but the topic of the altercation, and whether to apologise, was discussed in the hosts’ dressing room after the game.

The altercation was the culmination of a series of events that marred the end of the clash between the two teams. There were multiple heated discussions between Tilak Varma and the umpires, first surrounding the commencement of the Super Over amid bad light concerns and a further altercation over a controversial no-ball call during the Super Over bowled by Arshad Khan.