![India get massive squad update ahead of Australia U19 series [Source: AFP]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1788844222548_BCCIlogoandofficials.jpg?type=hq)
India get massive squad update ahead of Australia U19 series [Source: AFP]
The Board of Control for Cricket in India has made a major change to the India Under-19 squad ahead of the upcoming series against Australia after an age discrepancy was detected.
A player named Rohit Yadav, who had been selected for both the ODI and multi-day assignments, has now been withdrawn from the squads, forcing in two replacements.
BCCI brings in replacement for age fraud player
With Rohit Yadav withdrawn from the India U19 squads, the Junior Cricket Committee has named Aryan Savsani of the Saurashtra Cricket Association as his replacement in the One-Day squad.
Meanwhile, Haryana Cricket Association's Tanmay Baloda has been brought into the multi-day squad. The BCCI confirmed Rohit's withdrawal in its official statement.
“Rohit, who was named in India’s U19 squads for the upcoming fixtures against Australia U19 at Rajkot and Ahmedabad, has been withdrawn from the squad due to age discrepancies,” the BCCI said in an official release.
The change means India will enter the Australia assignment with a revised U19 squad after the controversy surrounding the youngster's eligibility.
India U19’s updated squad for One-Day matches: Lakshya Raichandani (C), Yashbardhan Chauhan (VC), Rajat Baghel (WK), Aaryavir Sehwag, V.K. Vineet, Kushagra Ojha, Arjun Rajput, Manal Chauhan, Anvay Dravid (WK), V. Yashveer, Shavin Vinodh, Mohit Ulva, Chigurupati Venkata, Kavya Patel, Aryan Savsani
India U19’s updated squad for Multi-Day fixtures: Yashbardhan Chauhan (C), Lakshya Raichandani (VC), Sagar Virk, Kushagra Ojha, Manal Chauhan, Kush Patel, Manav Krishna (WK), Abhipray Biswas (WK), Ishan Om, Ayaan Akram, Pranav Ragavendra, Priyanshu Singh, Mohit Ulva, Aryan Yadav, Tanmay Baloda
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Rohit Yadav played for India at the highest level
Rohit Yadav, a leg-spinner from Bengal, had recently made his way into India's junior setup and appeared to be progressing rapidly.
He had travelled with the India U19 team to Sri Lanka and subsequently earned selection for the Australia series after an impressive performance in the Youth Test.
During India's U19 tour of Sri Lanka, Rohit claimed six wickets in the Youth Test, helping him earn a place in the squad for the upcoming fixtures against Australia.
However, his progress was interrupted after an age-verification exercise reportedly uncovered inconsistencies in his official records.
Sportstar reported that Rohit had been banned for two years by the BCCI over discrepancies relating to his age, although the board itself did not disclose the ban in its release announcing his withdrawal.
How the age fraud scandal busted?
The reported discrepancies centred on his Aadhaar records, where Rohit Yadav's date of birth had allegedly been changed multiple times over the years.
When Rohit registered with the Cricket Association of Bengal in 2014, his date of birth was reportedly recorded as July 7, 2007. The records later showed a different year of birth.
A 2017 Aadhaar update reportedly changed his birth year to 2006, with another update in 2020 continuing to carry 2006. The date was subsequently altered again in 2021, this time to 2009. These inconsistencies eventually came under scrutiny during the BCCI's age-verification process.
Indian players' old history of age fraud
The cricket board's action against Rohit Yadav is not an isolated instance of the board taking a strict position on age-related fraud. The governing body has previously conducted extensive checks to tackle the practice of players allegedly manipulating their birth records to remain eligible for junior cricket.
In the two-year period leading up to 2020, the BCCI suspended 236 players, including 210 men and 26 women, after detecting age-related discrepancies. The crackdown continued during the 2019-20 season, when another 159 cricketers were reportedly caught falsifying their ages.
The board has traditionally imposed a two-year ban from recognised tournaments on players found guilty of altering their birth records.
Even after completing that suspension, players can face further restrictions from participating in junior-level competitions, including Under-16, Under-19 and Under-23 cricket.
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