BCCI suspends India U-19 leg-spinner Rohit Yadav for two years over age record discrepancies

Bengal leg-spinner Rohit Yadav has been banned for two years by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) following discrepancies in his age-related records, bringing a sudden halt to the young cricketer's rise into the India Under-19 setup.

According to Sportstar, the BCCI has suspended him with ‘immediate effect’ and informed its affiliated state associations about the decision.

The development comes just months after Rohit broke into the India U-19 team and earned selection for the squad's upcoming series against Australia.

BCCI acts after age-verification exercise

The discrepancies reportedly emerged during an age-verification exercise initiated by the BCCI and carried out by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).

Rohit Yadav's records showed multiple changes to his date of birth over the years. When he registered with the CAB in 2014, his date of birth was listed as July 7, 2007, while his address was recorded in Uttar Pradesh.

An Aadhaar update in 2017 changed his year of birth to 2006, with a subsequent update in 2020 continuing to reflect the same year.

However, the records were changed again in 2021, with his year of birth listed as 2009. Aadhaar updates in 2022, 2023, and 2024 also showed 2009 as his year of birth.

His address details were also altered over time, shifting from Uttar Pradesh to Howrah, with later records listing Liluah.

CAB flags matter to BCCI

The issue surfaced when the CAB began scrutinising age-related documents of its players earlier this year following instructions from the BCCI.

The association sought clarification over the discrepancies before escalating the matter to the national board. Following the review, the BCCI decided to impose a two-year ban on the Bengal cricketer.

The decision means Rohit's immediate involvement in domestic and age-group cricket will be affected. The BCCI is also expected to name a replacement in the India Under-19 squad for the upcoming series against Australia, scheduled to be played in Rajkot.

Rohit's rapid rise interrupted

A leg-spinner who progressed through Bengal's age-group system, Rohit had recently emerged as one of the players to earn a call-up to the India U-19 side.

He was part of the squad that travelled to Sri Lanka and produced a notable performance in the Youth Test, picking up six wickets against Sri Lanka U-19.

His performances earned him another selection for the India U-19 squad for the Australia series. However, his promising run has now been overshadowed by the discrepancies identified during the age-verification process.