“Virat told Dhammika came to hit you” - Discarded Team India pacer reveals how he got banned on 2015 Sri Lanka tour

Discarded Team India pacer Ishant Sharma revealed an interesting story about how he got banned during the 2015 Sri Lanka tour. He was suspended for one game after breaching the ICC's Code of Conduct during the third Test against the hosts.

Dhammika Prasad had bowled consecutive bouncers to Ishant Sharma while he was batting, which heated things. Ishant sledged Prasad, as then Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal also got involved.

"I actually got banned from a Test match once. It was in 2015, against Sri Lanka. Dhammika Prasad bowled a bouncer at me. Actually, earlier I had bowled a bouncer at him and fractured his left arm. Whenever I went in to bat, bowlers from the other team would only bowl bouncers, hoping to injure me. I didn’t want to just get out, I wanted them to keep trying," Ishant said on Raj Shamani's podcast.

"Anyway, after his arm fracture, Prasad came back and started bowling bouncers at me while I was batting - one, two, three. It was hot, and he was skinny. On the fourth bouncer, I took a single and said nothing. When I crossed him, I just said, 'You’re too slow to hit me on the head.' That’s not when I got banned; the ban came later. Things started heating up from there. Then Dinesh Chandimal came over from third man and elbowed me. That’s how it started," he added.

The Indian pacer went on to narrate how the then head coach Ravi Shastri and Sri Lanka's manager also got involved as things got ugly. Dhammika Prasad ran towards the opposition dressing room while Ishant had gone back after the innings. He then revealed how Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin riled him up, following which, he was extra aggressive, which eventually led to his ban.

"Ashwin got out then and I ran in because I had to change my shoes. When I was changing, Ravi Shastri and their manager were coming out of the dressing room. I did not know what was happening. They thought Dhamika and I had a fight. Dhamika had come till the dressing room, then I realized that he wanted to fight," he stated.

Ishant celebrated aggressively after dismissing Chandimal and a few other Sri Lankan batters. As he had already been fined once before, this incident got him suspended for a game.

"Then Virat told Dhamika came to hit you, you don't want to do anything? Then Ashwin asked me if I was okay because Chandimal hit me on the elbow. Then I literally went mad. Generally, I do not get so aggressive. Now there is a rule that you cannot celebrate on the face of the batter. I got a wicket and did that. Before that my match fees were cut once on the same thing. I did it again and then I got banned. I left Chandimal till the dressing room after getting him out," he added.

The altercation got the best out of Ishant, who delivered a match-winning performance as India beat the hosts by 117 runs. India also won the three-match series 2-1 with this result.

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India pacer reveals conversation with Ravi Shastri after the altercation

Ishant Sharma also revealed further fueled him the next day after the altercation. While they were having breakfast, Shastri had told Ishant to be angry and not let things go. The Indian pacer credited the former head coach for his ability to bring the best out of players in this manner.

"The next day morning we were having breakfast, our great coach Ravi Shastri asked me are you still angry? I said no. He said you should be. I said let it go, please. He knew how to trigger whom to get the best out of them," he said.

Notably, Ishant bagged five wickets in the first innings and picked up three in the second. He returned figures of 5/54 and 3/32 in both innings, respectively. He missed India's next Test against South Africa in Mohali after being banned. Chandimal was also suspended for a game, while Prasad was fined 50% of his match fees.

Ishant last played a Test in 2021 and has been out of favor since. He has featured in 105 Tests and has bagged 311 wickets.