India’s 15-year-old cricketing prodigy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, has started to make headlines well before being given the opportunity to make his historic debut for the senior Indian team. The opening batter, who has been selected for the T20I series against Ireland and England, is set to be given a separate changing room during the tour of the UK because of local regulations in place. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) views Sooryavanshi as a minor; hence, he will not be allowed to share a changing room with the senior members of the Indian team.
While the implementation of the rule has surprised a few in India, sporting bodies in the United Kingdom have been putting this regulation into effect across various sports for years.
What is the ECB Policy on Under-16 Players?
The ECB Safeguarding Policy explicitly prohibits individuals under the age of 16 from sharing changing room and showering facilities with adult players, following the policies set by the local laws in the United Kingdom.
In the UK, compliance is overseen by an independent body called the Cricket Regulator. They work alongside local County Safeguarding Officers at each venue to perform formal risk assessments before a team arrives.
In fact, football clubs like Arsenal have previously had to provide separate changing facilities for prodigies like Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman when they featured for the senior men’s team before turning 16.
However, Sooryavanshi is fully permitted to be in the main dressing room for pre-match warm-ups, tactical briefings, team meetings, and general match-day interactions.
But when changing into kit or showering, he must use a completely separate, private facility designated by the venue, or use the main room entirely alone at a strictly scheduled time before the rest of the squad enters.
Can the ICC Intervene in This Matter?
According to a report in the Hindustan Times, the International Cricket Council (ICC) cannot get involved in this ruling as it is a bilateral series which is not being managed by the apex body.
“The safeguarding regulations don’t apply to a bilateral series. The India versus England series is not an ICC event, and there are no specific regulations around U16 cricketers,” a source close to developments told the news portal. “This is clearly a UK law, and the ICC does not have any say in this matter,” the report added.
A Cricket Ireland spokesperson also confirmed that the same changing room regulation will be implemented during Sooryavanshi’s tour of Ireland. It has also been reported that the Indian team will have access to three different changing rooms during the course of the UK tour.
“The Indian team have been given three separate rooms in the pavilion, and safeguarding laws have been advised,” the Cricket Ireland spokesperson said. “We’ll check that all obligations have been met, but the BCCI will manage things in accordance with UK law. Our procedures and policies are in line with best practice in the UK.”