Abanter can sometimes cause a batter’s downfall as Niroshan Dickwella found out in the second innings in Galle on Wednesday.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s hilarious conversation to goad Dickwella into a hook shot prompted him to lose concentration and he fell two balls later to Prasidh Krishna.
He was dismissed for 12 off 17, after nicking to Rishabh Pant.
Midway through that over, Jaiswal walked over to Dickwella to suggest he had played with unusual restraint for two hours and 40 minutes for his 80 in the first innings.
“There wasn’t a lot of shots in the first innings. I need to see something,” began Jaiswal.
Dickwella initially responded with an “okay” before Jaiswal pointed to the mid-wicket region and told him: “Hit him there, I need to see something.”
“No, I’m not Jaiswal,” Dickwella said, suggesting the hook was not a shot he was comfortable with.
Dickwella kept the conversation going by quipping that he would do it “if you take me to IPL”.
Jaiswal responded: “I will 100 per cent take you.”
Dickwella cut the next ball from Prasidh to deep point for two before the exchange continued. “If you hit him there, I will definitely tell Sanga.”
Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara is the head coach and director of cricket for Rajasthan Royals, the IPL franchise Jaiswal plays for. Sangakkara and Dickwella are from the same school, Trinity College in Kandy.
Dickwella then tried to cut one that was very close to his body, but it produced an edge for Pant to comfortably latch on to.
As his dismissal triggered celebrations in the India camp, Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Pant, among others, made it a point to congratulate Jaiswal in the huddle.