Indian Under-19 cricketer banned for 2 years over age-fraud: Details
What's the story
Rohit Yadav, a leg-spinner who recently toured Sri Lanka with India's Under-19 cricket team, has been banned for two years due to age fraud. The discrepancy was discovered during a pre-season documentation drive by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). Rohit has now been withdrawn from the upcoming India U-19 series against Australia later this month.
Discrepancy details
27-month age discrepancy
Rohit, who has played for Bengal in the age-group circuit, has a 27-month age discrepancy, CAB revealed.
The association has informed all BCCI-affiliated state units of the ban, which is effective immediately.
Apart from Rohit, 64 other players have also been banned by CAB for similar reasons.
This includes Ravi Kumar, an ex-India U-19 World Cup winner who shone in the 2022 final against England in the Caribbean.
Fraud prevention
BCCI's amnesty scheme for age fraud
The BCCI has been taking steps to combat the growing problem of age fraud.
In 2020, it proposed an amnesty scheme with a punishment system for offenders.
Under this scheme, registered players could voluntarily declare any discrepancies and avoid suspension by providing their actual dates of birth.
However, if found breaching this rule, they would face bans.
Record alterations
Multiple changes to his date of birth
Rohit's records show multiple changes to his date of birth over the years.
When he registered with CAB in 2014, his DOB was July 7, 2007. However, an Aadhaar update in 2017 changed it to 2006, and another update in 2020 continued reflecting the same year.
The records were changed again in 2021, listing his year of birth as 2009, with Aadhaar updates showing the same until 2024.
Scrutiny results
Impact on Rohit's career
The issue came to light when CAB started scrutinizing age-related documents of its players earlier this year on BCCI's instructions.
The association sought clarification over the discrepancies before escalating the matter to the national board.
Following the review, BCCI decided to impose a two-year ban on Rohit for age fraud.
This will impact his immediate participation in domestic and age-group cricket tournaments.