We have seen plenty of sledging in cricket over the years. Sometimes it gets heated, sometimes players cross the line, while on other occasions it is simply a way of disturbing a batter’s concentration.
But offering an opposition batter an IPL opportunity in the middle of a Test match? That is certainly not something we see very often.
A hilarious conversation between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Niroshan Dickwella during the fifth day of the India-Sri Lanka Test at Galle has gone viral.
What made the incident even more interesting was its timing. Jaiswal was trying to tempt Dickwella into playing an attacking shot, Dickwella jokingly asked for an IPL offer, and the Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batter was dismissed immediately after their exchange.
Jaiswal Starts the Mind Game Against Dickwella
The incident happened during Sri Lanka’s fourth-innings chase of 372.
India knew they were getting closer to victory. Dhananjaya de Silva had been dismissed, while Sonal Dinusha was still fighting at the other end.
Dickwella was also an important wicket for India. He had scored 80 in Sri Lanka’s first innings and had the ability to counter-attack against the Indian bowlers.
That was when Jaiswal decided to have some fun with the Sri Lankan batter.
Fielding close to the bat, Jaiswal started reminding Dickwella about the attacking shots he had played in the first innings.
The Indian opener encouraged him to play another big shot, even pointing towards the deep square-leg region and challenging him to hit in that direction.
The sledging was not aggressive or abusive. Instead, it turned into a funny exchange between the two players.
Niroshan Dickwella Asks Jaiswal for an IPL Offer
According to reports of the stump-mic conversation, Jaiswal reminded Dickwella of the shots he had played in the first innings and asked him to show another one.
Jaiswal said:
“There were a lot of shots in the first innings. We need to see something. Come on.”
He then continued to encourage Dickwella to play towards the leg-side boundary.
Dickwella was not going to let Jaiswal have all the fun and came up with a brilliant response of his own.
“Just give me an IPL offer. I will show you those shots there.”
Jaiswal immediately played along with the joke.
“We will, we will. 100%. I will give you an IPL offer, but on the next ball you have to hit there.”
Dickwella responded with a simple:
“Thank you.”
It was a funny conversation, but what happened next made the entire incident even better from India’s point of view.
DICKWELLA ACCEPTED JAISWAL’S IPL DEAL OFFER… AND GOT OUT ON THE VERY NEXT BALL! 😃#INDvsSL #Jaiswal #Dickwella pic.twitter.com/OhekStZzKh
— CricInformer (@CricInformer) August 19, 2026
Dickwella Gets Out Immediately After Jaiswal’s IPL Offer
On the next delivery, Prasidh Krishna bowled to Dickwella.
The Sri Lankan batter attempted an attacking shot but could only get an edge, and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant completed the catch.
Dickwella was gone for 10.
The timing could hardly have been better for Jaiswal.
Just moments earlier, he had been asking Dickwella to play an attacking shot and joking about giving him an IPL offer. On the very next ball, India had the wicket they wanted.
The exchange quickly attracted attention among cricket fans because of how perfectly the conversation and the dismissal came together.
Did Jaiswal’s Sledging Actually Distract Dickwella?
It is tempting to say that Jaiswal won the psychological battle and forced Dickwella into playing the shot.
However, it is impossible to know exactly how much the conversation influenced the dismissal.
What we do know is that Jaiswal was clearly trying to get Dickwella thinking about playing an attacking shot. That is one of the oldest forms of cricket sledging: get inside the batter’s mind, challenge him and try to make him do something he otherwise might not have done.
Dickwella was experienced enough to understand what Jaiswal was trying to do, and his IPL response showed that he was enjoying the conversation as well.
Still, getting dismissed immediately after the exchange meant Jaiswal had the last laugh.
A Different Kind of Sledging From Yashasvi Jaiswal
What made the incident enjoyable was that there was no need for abusive language or an ugly confrontation.
It was competitive, funny and directly connected to what was happening in the game.
Jaiswal wanted Dickwella to attack. Dickwella responded by jokingly asking for an IPL opportunity. Jaiswal accepted the deal on one condition — play the big shot.
Then came the wicket.
For India, the dismissal was another important step towards victory. Sri Lanka’s lower order was exposed, and the hosts were eventually bowled out for 206 as India completed a 165-run victory.
Manav Suthar was the biggest star with the ball, finishing the match with 10 wickets, including 6/55 in the second innings.
But Jaiswal and Dickwella’s hilarious IPL conversation provided one of the most entertaining moments of the final day.
Whether Jaiswal can actually arrange that IPL offer is another matter entirely.
For now, he can certainly claim to have won this particular exchange.