‘Take Me to the IPL’: Dickwella’s Banter with Jaiswal Ends with Wicket

Sri Lanka batter Niroshan Dickwella found himself at the centre of a light-hearted exchange with India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal shortly before losing his wicket on the fifth day of the first Test in Galle.

Sri Lanka were chasing 372 for victory and needed to survive the final stages of the match to force a draw when Jaiswal attempted to persuade Dickwella to take on Prasidh Krishna’s short-pitched deliveries.

The conversation quickly turned into playful banter, with Dickwella jokingly asking Jaiswal to help him secure an IPL opportunity.

Jaiswal Challenges Dickwella

Two balls before Dickwella was dismissed, Jaiswal walked in from square leg and urged the batter to play more attacking shots after his relatively restrained innings of 80 in the first innings.

“There wasn’t a lot of shots in the first innings. I need to see something,” Jaiswal told him.

Jaiswal then pointed towards the Galle Municipality Stand and challenged Dickwella to hook Krishna into the stands.

“Hit him there, I need to see something,” Jaiswal said.

Dickwella initially responded with “okay” but then joked that the hook shot was not his natural game.

“No, I’m not Jaiswal,” Dickwella replied.

He then added a condition for taking on the fast bowler: “If you take me to IPL.”

Jaiswal responded confidently: “I will 100% take you.”

The exchange continued, with Jaiswal promising to speak to Rajasthan Royals director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara if Dickwella managed to hit Krishna into the stands.

“If you hit him there, I will definitely tell Sanga,” Jaiswal said.

The reference was particularly fitting given Sangakkara’s longstanding connection with Dickwella. The two played together for Sri Lanka, while both are graduates of Trinity College, Kandy. Sangakkara is also part of the Rajasthan Royals setup, the IPL franchise for which Jaiswal plays.

Dickwella Falls Moments Later

Despite Jaiswal’s encouragement, Dickwella never attempted the hook shot during the over, with Krishna repeatedly bowling short.

Dickwella instead cut one delivery towards deep point for two runs. On the following delivery, he attempted a similar shot but the ball was close to his body.

As Dickwella moved towards the leg side, he edged the delivery behind, allowing Rishabh Pant to complete the catch.

Dickwella departed for 12 off 17 balls, exposing Sri Lanka’s tail with the hosts still needing to survive more than two overs before lunch.

The Indian players were visibly delighted with the dismissal, with Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Pant among those congratulating Jaiswal during the huddle.

Although Jaiswal had no direct role in the wicket, the India players appeared to believe that his banter had helped create the moment that led to Dickwella’s mistake.

Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for 207, falling 165 runs short of their target and losing the Test shortly after the lunch break.

Dickwella No Stranger to On-Field Banter

The exchange was typical of Dickwella, who has long been known for his lively conversations with opponents.

A similar incident occurred during Sri Lanka’s Test against India in Kolkata in 2017, when Dickwella engaged in extended discussions with the Indian players while his team was attempting to save the match.

One of his Sri Lankan team-mates eventually asked him to reduce his chatter. Dickwella’s response summed up his approach to on-field banter: he said he was simply helping the opposition waste their own time.

In Galle, however, the exchange with Jaiswal remained friendly — but ended with Dickwella walking back to the pavilion just moments after the conversation.