The 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who recently earned a maiden call-up to the Indian national team, will reportedly be required to use his own changing room during India’s tour of England.
A report by The Guardian states that Sooryavanshi will be mandated to have separate facilities for safeguarding reasons, as the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) procedures will be in force throughout the series.
The hype surrounding the prodigy from Bihar is real, as he could make history by becoming India’s youngest international cricketer on Friday, should he earn his debut cap in the T20I against Ireland in Belfast. India will play two T20Is against Ireland before a five-match T20 series against England, which begins in Durham next Wednesday.
The record for India’s youngest international cricketer is held by the great Sachin Tendulkar, who made his Test debut at the age of 16 years and 205 days in 1989.
According to The Guardian, both the ICC and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) prohibit under-16s from using adult changing rooms. This means Sooryavanshi will have his own facilities at all venues, while his parents are also understood to be accompanying him on the tour.
The ECB is said to be working closely with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to ensure appropriate measures are in place for all five T20Is.
“This is an ICC event, with their safeguarding procedures active as they have jurisdiction. A safeguarding concern occurring during the event may, in some circumstances, be managed by the ICC. In addition to this, the ECB Safe Hands policy applies at all times. The Cricket Regulator is in contact with the Team Liaison Officer for the Indian team to discuss requirements and expectations for the player while he is in the UK,” the ECB told The Guardian.
“Each County Safeguarding Officer for the relevant cricket venue is also working closely with the Team Liaison Officer to ensure venue protocols and arrangements, specifically changing room environments, are understood and adhered to. This is conducted via safeguarding risk assessments. It is our understanding that the player’s parents will be travelling with him at all times. They are staying in the same hotel, which is outside of usual protocol, but agreed on this occasion due to his age. This additional measure provides us with further confidence that he has family members that can provide the additional level of support and care,” the ECB added.
Providing a separate changing room for players under 16 is standard practice in English sport. Arsenal’s Max Dowman reportedly used a separate changing room from his teammates last season until he turned 16 in December.
There are no such apparent rules in force in India, as Sooryavanshi used the same facilities as his Rajasthan Royals teammates during his two seasons in the Indian Premier League.
