India Under-19 Captain Anuj Rawat to Face the Music for Playing in Mauritius

India Under-19 wicketkeeper-batsman Anuj Rawat might land in hot waters for playing an unsanctioned Twenty20 league in Mauritius last year along with several Pakistani cricketers.

Moreover, Rawat had recently captained India U-19 in four-day matches in Sri Lanka.

In June 2017, Anuj along with some lesser-known first-class players like Asad Pathan had featured in it.

As per the norms, the players need a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to apply for a visa for playing in leagues in the United Kindom (UK) or Bangladesh. However, Mauritius is an exception.

The Indian nationals could stay in the island country without a visa if the intended stay is for not more than 60 days.

“You don’t need a visa to enter Mauritius. On arrival, your passport will be stamped allowing entry to the country for 60 days. You’ll need to be able to provide evidence of onward or return travel,” states the visa policy.

As a result, the players could play in Mauritius without obtaining a NOC from the BCCI. However, the same has now landed them in trouble with Rawat being one of them.

According to media reports, India’s U-19 World Cup hero Manjot Kalra had also sought permission from the BCCI to play this particular tournament.

However, the Indian board had eventually turned down Kalra’s request.

But Anuj had not sought the permission from the BCCI. He had gone on to play in the such a league which didn’t have any sort of approval.

A youtube video of the tournament has emerged in which India Under-19 star Anuj Rawat is seen playing in a match between teams named Flac Royals and Quatre Borne in Mauritius.

Anuj’s opposing team comprised former Pakistan cricketer Hasan Raza and ex-England international Owais Shah. Both the players had recently made it to the news after featuring in the sting operation conducted by the Al Jazeera network.

Interim BCCI secretary Amitabh Chaudhary expressed his shock over the news.

“The age group players are educated by BCCI at the national level. This is very unfortunate if junior players have gone ahead and played unsanctioned tournament. This needs to be looked into seriously,” Choudhary told PTI.

BCCI GM (Cricket Operations) Saba Karim said that he was unaware of the developments.

“For any tournament outside India, the players need to seek NOC from BCCI. I am not aware whether Anuj sought permission or not. You could check with DDCA,” Karim said.

Reports suggest that Anuj had not taken permission from Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) either. The Delhi wicketkeeper-batsman Rawat made his first-class debut in 2017. He scored two fifties in three games to accumulate 178 runs.