Red-hot Indian batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi lost his cool yesterday after the Super Over loss to Sri Lanka A. The 15-year-old got into a heated confrontation with Sri Lankan players Vishen Halambage and Kugathas Mathulan despite Suryansh Shedge’s attempts to prise him away.
Senior Sri Lankan international Niroshan Dickwella had to intervene and physically drag them apart.
The incident is currently under review by the match referee for a Level 1 Offence under Article 2.12 (inappropriate physical contact) of the ICC Code of Conduct, which could carry heavy fines, demerit points, or a potential suspension.
Sooryavanshi has a history of losing his cool, having previously clashed with Pakistan’s Ali Raza during the U-19 Asia Cup final. It’s a troubling pattern for the teenager, who just came off a record-breaking IPL season (winning the Orange Cap with 776 runs) and earned a call-up to the senior Indian team.
We take a look at seven notable instances of on-pitch altercations involving Indian cricketers.
1. Gautam Gambhir vs Shane Watson. Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 2008.
The third test of the Border-Gavaskar trophy was an eventful one for Gautam Gambhir. For one, he scored a double-century. More headline-grabbing was the elbow he shoved into Shane Watson’s chest while running between the wickets. In a fiery contest in Delhi, Watson had repeatedly tried to provoke Gambhir during his long innings. By the 51st over, Gambhir had had enough.
Gambhir received a one-Test ban for a Level 2 Offence, while Watson escaped a ban with a lesser Level 1 Offence.
2. Virat Kohli vs Sam Konstas. Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 2024.
During the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, Kohli clashed with Australian debutant Sam Konstas at the end of the 10th over, appearing to deliberately shoulder-barge the 19-year-old batter while he was running between the wickets. Aussie veteran Usman Khawaja had to intervene to break up the war of words, and Kohli was later fined 20% of his match fees.
3. Ravindra Jadeja vs James Anderson. India tour of England, 2014.
During the first Test at Trent Bridge, Ravindra Jadeja was involved in an altercation with England pacer James Anderson. As the players walked off for lunch, a verbal argument spilled into the narrow pavilion corridor. Anderson allegedly physically shoved Jadeja as they climbed the stairs.
The altercation was deemed serious enough to trigger Level 3 charges and required a formal ICC judicial hearing. Both players were ultimately cleared of the most severe charges only because there was no definitive CCTV video evidence in that specific hallway to prove the physical shove.
4. MS Dhoni vs Mustafizur Rahman. India tour of Bangladesh, 2015.
During the first ODI in Mirpur, as MS Dhoni took off for a quick single, Bangladesh debutant Mustafizur Rahman drifted into the path of the Indian batsmen while they were running between the wickets. Dhoni dropped his shoulder and shoved the bowler out of the way, sending him crashing to the ground.
Dhoni was fined 75% of his match fee and Mustafizur 50% for “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact between players in the course of play during an international match”.
5. Gautam Gambhir vs Shahid Afridi. Pakistan tour of India, 2007.
During the third ODI in Kanpur, Gambhir hit Afridi for a boundary and took a quick single on the next ball. While completing the run, Gambhir ran straight into Afridi, resulting in a heavy physical collision. The two immediately spun around and engaged in an ugly, chest-to-chest swearing match right in the middle of the pitch. On-field umpire Ian Gould had to intervene, and both players were later heavily penalised by the match referee Roshan Mahanama. Afridi was docked a massive 95% of his match fee, while Gambhir was fined 65%.
6. Ishant Sharma vs Dhammika Prasad and Dinesh Chandimal. India tour of Sri Lanka, 2015.
In a notoriously hostile Test in Colombo, Dhammika Prasad bowled a barrage of bouncers at Ishant Sharma. Ishant responded by violently tapping his own helmet to taunt him. During the subsequent run, Prasad and Ishant crossed paths aggressively, and Dinesh Chandimal intentionally bumped his shoulder into Ishant as he ran past.
The ICC handed Ishant a one-match suspension, while Chandimal was suspended for one ODI and Prasad was fined 50% of his match fee.
7. S. Sreesanth vs Michael Vaughan. India tour of England, 2007.
During the 2nd Test at Trent Bridge, Sreesanth, then a fiery young talent, deliberately shoulder-barged England captain Michael Vaughan at the non-striker’s end while returning to his bowling mark. Sreesanth pleaded guilty to a Level 2 Code of Conduct breach and was fined 50% of his match fee.