Aggro wait... Skipper Ajinkya Rahane cracks whip

West Zone players with the winner’s trophy yesterday. Pic/BCCI

West Zone's Mumbai opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, 20, was sent off the field by his captain Ajinkya Rahane on the final day of the Duleep Trophy against South Zone at Coimbatore on Sunday. Jaiswal, at close-in, was heard sledging South batsman Ravi Teja, who had apparently complained about consistent verbal volleys. Rahane then ordered Jaiswal to leave the field.

Jaiswal emerged the top run-getter in the tournament with 497 from three games, which included two double centuries. It is learnt that Rahane asked his young batsman to, "go inside for sometime, take some rest, cool down and then come back again after a few overs." Reacting to the incident after the match, Rahane said: "I believe in always respecting your opponents, umpires and match officials. So you have to handle certain incidents in a certain manner."

The above screengrab shows Ajinkya Rahane asking Yashasvi Jaiswal to leave the field

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Ashok Malhotra, the former India player, who was doing television commentary during the match, told mid-day that Jaiswal is bound to learn from this episode as he matures. Malhotra, who is also the Indian Cricketers' Association president, said: "He [Jaiswal] is young and when you are young, you get very excited and can get lost. Ajinkya handled it very well and the way he sent him [Jaiswal] out [for a few overs], shows how good a captain he is. Jaiswal will mature."

Jaiswal played a crucial role through his double century in helping his team win the Duleep Trophy after a gap of 12 years. West beat South by 294 runs. His 265 earned him player of the match award. South, who were struggling at 154-6 at stumps on Day Four, were bowled out for 234.

Malhotra, who represented the country in seven Tests and 20 ODIs, praised Jaiswal's skills: "He is a brilliant talent, an outstanding player. He was aggressive, positive and displayed very good temperament. He is fearless and has all the plusses. He is a player for the future," Malhotra remarked. Jaiswal was the top-scorer with 400 runs in the U-19 World Cup held in South Africa in 2020.

Meanwhile, his childhood coach Jwala Singh, said: "I do not know what exactly happened on the ground. He is young and sometimes when we get deeply involved in the game, we become slightly emotional. But all players should control their emotions. It's a gentleman's game and we all need to ensure that."

Brief scores
West 270 & 585-4d beat South 327 & 234 (R Kunnummal 93, R Teja 53; S Mulani 4-51, J Unadkat 2-28, A Sheth 2-29) by 294 runs

With inputs from Agencies