Vaibhav Sooryavanshi row: BCCI secretary breaks silence on Sri Lanka incident, says board has 'no role to - The Times of India

NEW DELHI: BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has dismissed speculation surrounding possible action against teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi following his heated altercation with Sri Lanka A cricketer Vishen Halambage during the recent tri-nation A series match, insisting that the Indian board has no role in matters that fall under the jurisdiction of match officials.The incident occurred after Halambage allegedly made provocative remarks during Sri Lanka A's Super Over victory over India A. Tempers flared as the Sri Lankan player came close to the 15-year-old opener, prompting Sooryavanshi to push him away during the exchange. Responding to widespread social media chatter over a possible BCCI crackdown on the batting prodigy, Saikia expressed surprise at the speculation."A lot of things are going on in the social media that BCCI is contemplating action, etc. Do you want BCCI to step into the domain of match referee?" Saikia counter-questioned, while speaking to news agency PTI.'BCCI have no role to play'The BCCI secretary stressed that disciplinary matters on the field are handled by the designated officials and that the board would not interfere with the established process."The BCCI is not an authority, we should not intrude into the area where the match referee and the umpires are the main persons who can take any decision regarding any incident that had happened in the playground," Saikia said."Whatever had happened, it was a part of the game, and the BCCI have no role to play. The role is of the match referee. If anything is going wrong, he will take a call, the umpires will take a call, and there is a system in place," added Saikia, who is also an eminent lawyer.Sri Lankan players sanctioned after ugly scenesMeanwhile, as per a PTI report, Sri Lanka Cricket-appointed match referee Pradeep Jeyapragash handed sanctions to Halambage and senior wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella for separate offences arising from the match.The report indicated that Halambage was penalised for provocative comments directed at Indian batters after Sri Lanka's Super Over triumph, while Dickwella, who had attempted to prevent the confrontation from escalating, was sanctioned for excessive appealing.The exact nature of the punishments remains unclear, and there has been no official confirmation on whether Indian players, including Sooryavanshi and captain Tilak Varma, received warnings or any disciplinary action.The flashpoint came after both teams finished on 265, forcing a Super Over. Chasing 17, India A managed only nine runs, with Sooryavanshi scoring six off the final three deliveries bowled by left-arm pacer Kugathas Mathulan.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.