Five Indian Players Who Fudged Their Age To Play Age-Group Tournaments

Age-group tournaments are such a thrill to watch. They not only give the teenagers to showcase their precocious talent on the world stage but it also gives us fans to have a sneak-peak into our potential future stars.

Performing in age-group tournaments like the U-19 World Cup propels a teenager to instant fame. That said, there have been a plethora of incidents- especially in Indian cricket- in the past where we have seen cricketers fudge their age in order to take part in the competition.

Here’s a look at five Indian players who fudged their age to play age-group cricket-

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5. Prince Ram Niwas Yadav

Prince Yadav, the Delhi cricketer, was banned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India [BCCI] from domestic cricket for a period of two seasons last year after he was found guilty of fudging his age in U-19 documents.

The BCCI acted on the certificate issued by the CBSE where Yadav’s date of birth was found to be June 10, 1996. The cricketer, had, however, submitted a birth certificate where his date of birth was shown to be December 12, 2001.

The apex body sent an e-mail to DDCA confirming the same-

“Prince Ram Niwas Yadav (Player ID 12968), a player registered by DDCA in the U-19 age group category in 2018-19 season and re-registered in 2019-20. As per the recently issued birth certificate submitted by the cricketer, his date of birth is 12th December 2001,” the e-mail read.

“Acting on a complaint received about the cricketer being over-age, the BCCI checked his records with Central Board of Secondary Education and it was found that Mr. Prince Yadav has passed Class X in 2012 and his actual date of birth is 10th June 1996,” the BCCI added in its e-mail.

The BCCI further stated that Yadav had acquired multiple birth certificates in order to gain an undue advantage in age-group tournaments.

4. Rasikh Salam

Rasikh Salam, the Jammu-Kashmir fast bowler- turned heads when he was picked up by the Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2019 IPL Auction.

But, was Rasikh really a 17-year-old teenager as he claimed to be? A first look at him made fans wonder if he was at least 20-21?

Fans worst fear came true when it was proved that Rasikh had indeed fudged his age. The right-handed all-rounder was banned from all cricket by the BCCI for a period of two years last June after a thorough investigation brought to light a mismatch between ‘two original birth certificates’ obtained from two different sources.

3. Ankeet Bawne

Unmukt Chand became a nation-wide sensation after he scored a whirlwind hundred in the final against Australia to lead his side to the 2012 U-19 World Cup victory.

But do you know Maharashtra’s Ankeet Bawne was supposed to lead the U-19 side but for the controversy related to his age in September 2011 that left the selectors with no choice than to remove him from the squad?

It was discovered that the date of birth in his passport did not match the one in his birth certificate and the BCCI’s records. While his official date of birth is December 17, 1992, his passport stated his DOB as September 01, 1992, thus making him not eligible for the 2012 U-19 World Cup. Bawne protested that his agent had messed up the date, but the selectors, not wanting to take the risk, appointed Unmukt as the captain.

However, no action was taken against Bawne.

2. Nitish Rana

One of the most high-profile names in this list, Nitish Rana shocked one and all when it came to light that the Delhi batsman is one of the 23 cricketers to be banned by the BCCI from participating in age-group tournaments in 2015.

Rana, who is an established member of the Delhi team, was banned after discrepancies were found in his date of birth. The case against the southpaw is still ongoing.

1. Manjot Kalra

Manjot Kalra, the swashbuckling left-handed batsman, shot into limelight courtesy his whirlwind match-winning hundred against Australia in the 2018 U-19 World Cup.

Kalra soon landed himself an IPL contract with the Delhi Capitals and even though he didn’t play a single game throughout the 2018 season, the future looked bright for the southpaw.

However, it all came crashing down for Manjot Kalra after he was found guilty of providing wrong information with regards to his date of birth. Back in 2017, Kalra was cleared by the BCCI but constant allegations by disgruntled parents of other cricketers and a subsequent investigation by the Delhi Police confirmed that Kalra had indeed provided an incorrect date of birth and was one year older, making him ineligible to play in the U-19 World Cup.

In December 2019, Manjot Kalra was banned from age-group cricket by the DDCA ombudsman for a period of two years.

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