Former India captain Ajinkya Rahane has revealed that Yashasvi Jaiswal was close to receiving a four-match ban after a heated incident during the 2022 Duleep Trophy. Rahane, then West Zone captain, stepped in before the situation escalated and asked Jaiswal to leave the field.
Jaiswal was involved in a heated exchange with South Zone's T Ravi Teja during the match. According to Rahane, the young batter had already received multiple warnings from the umpires before the incident forced him to intervene.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Rahane said he understood that sledging was part of cricket but felt the situation was getting out of control.
“Sledging happens in the game, and I agree that it should happen—it adds a bit of fun,” he said.
“I sensed the situation, then, would have gone out of hand. Yes, at that point Yashasvi must have felt bad. But we’ve seen many situations where players have been banned, and you never know how time changes.”
Rahane said he had to take responsibility for his teammate and decided that sending Jaiswal back to the dressing room was the best way to prevent further trouble.
“One opportunity gone, your time changes—you never know. I sensed the situation and also felt both players were going out of hand, and it was my responsibility to control my teammate,” he said.
Rahane's intervention apparently changed the course of the disciplinary proceedings. He revealed that match referee Vengalil Narayanan Kutty had already prepared a letter recommending a four-match suspension for Jaiswal.
“The match referee was ready with a 4-match ban—the letter was already written,” Rahane said.
According to Rahane, the match referee later showed him the letter before deciding to withdraw it after seeing how the West Zone captain had handled the situation.
“He came up to me and said, ‘This is the letter, but because you did this, I’m tearing it up.’ He tore the letter in front of me… In the end, I was happy that Jaiswal didn’t get any match ban, and now he’s playing for India.”
Rahane also acknowledged that the incident could have had a major impact on Jaiswal's career at the time, while making it clear that he was not claiming responsibility for the batter's eventual success.
“What could have happened? Maybe he wouldn’t have played after that, or maybe not. He’s a quality player—I’m not taking any credit away from him. But you never know,” he said.
Despite the controversy, Jaiswal finished the tournament on a high. He scored 265 in the Duleep Trophy final as West Zone defeated South Zone, earning the Player of the Match award.
The incident also became part of a difficult period in Jaiswal's relationship with Mumbai cricket. He was subsequently linked with a move to Goa, although he ultimately remained with Mumbai.
Years later, Jaiswal has established himself as one of India's leading Test batters. Rahane's account offers a glimpse into how close the young opener came to missing matches at a crucial stage of his early career.
