Former India batter Ajinkya Rahane has looked back at a memorable moment from the 2022 Duleep Trophy final between West Zone and South Zone. Rahane was leading West Zone in the summit clash, which featured several notable performances and eventually ended with a convincing victory for his side. The former India captain has now revealed details of an incident involving young batter Yashasvi Jaiswal during the match.
Ajinkya Rahane recalls heated exchange involving Yashasvi Jaiswal
The incident took place during the 2022 Duleep Trophy final when Jaiswal was involved in a heated exchange with South Zone all-rounder Telukupalli Ravi Teja. As tensions began to rise, Rahane quickly stepped in and asked his teammate to leave the field temporarily and calm himself down.
Speaking about the incident, Rahane explained that he felt it was his responsibility as captain to control the situation before it escalated further. He asked Jaiswal to spend a few overs away from the field before returning to the game.
“I sensed that the situation was, maybe, getting out of hand and felt it was my responsibility to control my teammate. I told Yashasvi to go inside, cool down for five or six overs and return. Later, the match referee told me he had prepared a four-match ban but tore up the letter because I had intervened. As a leader, you have to read the situation and act. So in the end, I was happy. He didn’t get any ban, and now he is playing for India,” Rahane said.
Rahane later learned that the match referee had prepared a four-match suspension for Jaiswal. However, according to the former batter, the referee decided not to proceed with the punishment after Rahane intervened and managed the situation.
Yashasvi Jaiswal went on to make a major impact
The incident did not affect Jaiswal’s performance in the remainder of the final. The left-handed batter produced a spectacular second-innings performance, scoring 265 runs and playing a major role in West Zone’s 294-run victory. Jaiswal was subsequently named Player of the Match for his outstanding contribution in the final. His performances in domestic cricket continued to earn him recognition, eventually leading to his India debut less than a year later.
The youngster made his Test debut against West Indies in 2023 and announced himself immediately with a memorable 171 in his first innings. Since then, he has established himself as one of India’s leading red-ball batters. Jaiswal has also represented India in limited-overs cricket, making his T20I debut in 2023 and ODI debut in 2025. The 24-year-old has continued to develop into an important part of India’s setup, making Rahane’s intervention during that Duleep Trophy final an interesting moment in the early stages of his international journey.
