Yashasvi Jaiswal, Asitha Fernando charged heavily for on-field head-butt episode in Colombo Test

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Asitha Fernando have been sanctioned with a 25 per cent match-fee deduction apiece after a physical altercation on the opening day of the second Test between India and Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo on Sunday, August 23.

The charges were brought under Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct, and one demerit point was added to each player's disciplinary record.

"Both players were found to have breached Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other person (including a spectator during an International Match)," an official ICC statement read on Monday, August 24.

The flashpoint came immediately after Fernando dismissed Jaiswal for 45 off 53 balls. A confrontation broke out between the two players on the field, with several Sri Lanka fielders converging on the pair as the situation grew heated. Jaiswal had struck nine boundaries during his knock and had helped India stabilise following the early departure of KL Rahul.

The ICC has stated that both players admitted the offences and accepted the sanctions put forward by Andy Pycroft of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, meaning no formal hearings were necessary.

The charge against both players was framed under a clause that prohibits inappropriate physical contact between participants during an international match. The apex cricket council mentions that the relevant provision covers contact involving players, player support personnel, umpires, match referees and any other person present at the ground, including spectators.

The breach sat at Level 1, which is the least severe tier within the ICC's disciplinary framework. Sanctions at this level are ordinarily limited to a fine and the addition of demerit points, and they do not by themselves trigger a playing ban. The classification reflects the governing body's assessment of the seriousness of the contact rather than the circumstances that led to it.

Each player now carries one demerit point on his record. Neither Jaiswal nor Fernando had any prior offence registered against them in the 24 months before this incident, so both begin from a clean base with a single point accumulated.

Under ICC regulations, a suspension is triggered only when a player's demerit points cross a defined threshold within a rolling 24-month window. With one point each and no earlier violations in that period, neither player is at risk of an immediate ban. Both remain fully available for the rest of the Colombo Test and for any subsequent matches in the series between India and Sri Lanka.