Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to get separate dressing room in England: ECB reveals the reason

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (ANI Photo) NEW DELHI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s rapid rise in cricket continues to attract attention. The 15-year-old batting sensation from Bihar, who recently received his maiden call-up to the Indian team, is set to travel with the team for the upcoming white-ball tour of England. If he is picked for the first T20I against Ireland on Friday in Belfast, he could become India’s youngest ever international cricketer, breaking the record currently held by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.India will play two T20Is against Ireland before taking on England in a five-match T20I series starting next week in Durham.According to a report in The Guardian, Sooryavanshi will have to use a separate dressing room during the tour due to safety regulations. ICC rules, along with ECB rules, do not allow players under the age of 16 to share dressing room facilities with adult players.As a result, special measures will be taken at each venue, with the ECB working with the BCCI to ensure all protocols are followed. Sooryavanshi’s parents are expected to accompany him during the tour and stay in the same hotel as the team, an exception reportedly approved due to his age.“This is an ICC event with active safeguarding procedures as they have jurisdiction. Security issues that occur during the event may be managed by the ICC in certain circumstances. Additionally, the ECB’s Safe Hands policy always applies. The cricket regulator is in contact with the team liaison officer for the Indian team to discuss the requirements and expectations for the players while in the UK,” the ECB said.“Each District Security Officer for the relevant cricket venue also works closely with the Team Liaison Officer to ensure that venue protocols and arrangements, specifically the changing room environment, are understood and adhered to. This is done through a risk security assessment. We understand that the player will be traveling with his parents at all times. They will be staying in the same hotel which is in line with his additional age under this protocol. He has family members who can provide him with an additional level of support and care,” the ECB added.Separate changing rooms for under-16 athletes are standard practice in English sport. However, there seems to be no such rule in India, where Sooryavanshi shared the facility with his Rajasthan Royals teammates during the IPL seasons.