Kolkata: Bengal leg-spinner Rohit Yadav’s successful stint with the India Under-19 team on the Sri Lanka tour has now turned into a controversy. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has imposed a two-year ban on Rohit for allegedly providing incorrect information in age-related documents. The action comes at a time when he was part of India’s Under-19 squad for the upcoming home series against Australia Under-19.
Rohit, who is originally from Uttar Pradesh, represented India’s Under-19 team during the Sri Lanka tour in July. He took six wickets during the tour and contributed to India’s victory in the final Test. He was subsequently selected for the Indian Under-19 squad for the upcoming one-day and multi-day matches against Australia Under-19 in Rajkot and Ahmedabad.
However, scrutiny of his documents during the Sri Lanka tour reportedly revealed serious discrepancies concerning his age. According to the records examined, three different birth certificates were found in Rohit’s name, carrying different years of birth — 2007, 2009 and 2010. Eligibility in age-group cricket is determined on the basis of official date-of-birth records. The conflicting documents therefore raised questions over his eligibility to compete in Under-19 cricket.
The discrepancies were not limited to his birth certificates. Differences were also found in his Aadhaar records. When Rohit was registered with the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), his year of birth was recorded as 2007. Subsequent updates to his Aadhaar records in 2017 and 2020 showed his year of birth as 2006, while it was changed to 2009 in 2021. The conflicting records further intensified scrutiny of his age.
CAB had previously kept Rohit out of its junior teams because of the discrepancies in his documentation. The association subsequently informed the BCCI about the matter. The board has now barred Rohit from domestic cricket for two years and communicated the decision to all affiliated state cricket associations.
Alongside the action against Rohit, CAB has expanded its scrutiny of players’ age and documentation records. The association has declared 62 players ineligible for registration or transfer for any tournament during the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons. The players were flagged following discrepancies found in their age records and other documentation.
The list also includes Ravi Kumar, a member of India’s 2022 Under-19 World Cup-winning team. CAB records reportedly show a 45-month discrepancy concerning his age. Left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Vishal Bhatti is also among those facing action. He has made three first-class and two List A appearances.
CAB’s review has identified discrepancies spanning several years in the records of a number of other age-group players as well. The association has published the list of affected players on its website following its document verification exercise. The initiative is aimed at preventing the use of incorrect ages in age-group cricket and making the player eligibility process more transparent.
The allegations against Rohit Yadav are part of a cricket-administrative disciplinary process, and the BCCI’s two-year ban is a sporting sanction rather than a judicial conviction. The case has once again highlighted the importance of consistent age verification and coordination between government identity documents and cricket registration records. The latest action by the BCCI and CAB indicates that scrutiny of player documentation in age-group cricket is being tightened to prevent eligibility-related irregularities.
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About the author — Suvedita Nath is a science student with a growing interest in cybercrime and digital safety. She writes on online activity, cyber threats, and technology-driven risks. Her work focuses on clarity, accuracy, and public awareness.
