In a rare move, teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will use a separate dressing room compared to his India teammates during the upcoming five-match T20I series in England, starting in Durham on July 1, to comply with mandatory child safeguarding policies.
The protocol for Sooryavanshi is aligned with the rigorous under-16 protective guidelines laid down by both the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
As per the norms, Sooryavanshi is permitted inside the main Indian team dressing room for tactical team meetings, strategy discussions, and match-day interactions. But he will be using the separate dressing room for changing his clothes across all five T20I game venues.
“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 (TLO) for the Indian team to discuss requirements and expectations for the player while he is in the UK,” the ECB was quoted as saying in ‘The Guardian’ on Wednesday.
Sooryavanshi’s parents will accompany him throughout the United Kingdom tour, and they will reside in the official team hotels. Devajit Saikia, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), had previously said that it would fully sponsor the travel and accommodation expenses of the teenage left-handed batter’s parents.
“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 who can provide the additional level of support and care,” added the ECB.
It is yet to be known if similar restrictions will be enforced during India’s two-match T20I game against Ireland in Belfast starting on Friday. Such distinct protocols are common in European football, where underage athletes like Arsenal’s Max Dowman had to use separate changing arrangements until turning 16.
Though Sooryavanshi has previously shared dressing rooms with his team-mates in Bihar, Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, and India A, a debut on the tour of the United Kingdom will see him surpass the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record (16 years, 205 days) of India’s youngest men’s international cricket debutant.
