Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will have a unique experience on his first senior international tour. As part of safety precautions for India’s next Twenty20 International series in England, the 15-year-old will have a separate changing area.
The boy wonder is expected to surpass the renowned Sachin Tendulkar, who made his Test debut at 16 years and 205 days in 1989, to become India’s youngest international cricket player. He has already generated excitement with his aggressive strokeplay.
India’s tour starts on Friday with a two-match Twenty20 International series against Ireland in Belfast, followed by a five-match series against England starting next Wednesday. The young player will also have a first-of-its-kind arrangement on the tour’s England leg.
Under-16 players are not permitted to use adult changing rooms due to International Cricket Council event safeguarding rules and England and Wales Cricket Board regulations, according to a report in the British daily The Guardian. As a result, Sooryavanshi will have separate changing facilities at all venues in England.
“Sooryavanshi will be permitted in the India dressing room during the game and can attend team talks, with the restriction applying only when he is getting changed before and after each match. Such measures are standard practice in English sport, with Arsenal’s Max Dowman using a separate changing room to his teammates last season until he turned 16 in December, but will be new to Sooryavanshi as they do not apply in India,” stated the report.
It is expected that Sooryavnashi’s parents will travel with him. The young player for the Rajasthan Royals, who used to share a dressing room with his senior teammates in the Indian Premier League, will be unfamiliar with the setup.
According to the report, the ECB is working with the venue authorities and the BCCI to make sure that all safeguarding procedures are followed throughout the tour.
“This is an ICC event, with their safeguarding procedures active as they have jurisdiction,” the ECB said in a statement to The Guardian.
“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.
“Each county safeguarding officer for the relevant cricket venue is also working closely with the team liaison officer to ensure venue protocols and arrangements are understood and adhered to. This is conducted via safeguarding risk assessments,” it added.
