Teenage Cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to Have Separate Changing Facilities in UK Due to Safeguarding Rules

Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will have separate changing room facilities during India's T20I series in Ireland and England because of child safeguarding regulations in the United Kingdom. The 15-year-old is in line to make his India debut during the two-match T20I series against Ireland, which begins on Friday at Stormont in Belfast. If he plays, he will become India's youngest men's international cricketer, breaking Sachin Tendulkar's long-standing record.

Cricket Ireland has confirmed that India have been given three separate rooms at the pavilion to ensure all safeguarding rules are followed. "The Indian team has been given three separate rooms in the pavilion, and safeguarding laws have been advised. We'll check all obligations have been met, but the BCCI will manage things in accordance with UK law. Our procedures and policies are in line with best practice in the UK," a Cricket Ireland spokesperson told IANS.

Under the arrangement, Sooryavanshi can attend team meetings, tactical discussions and spend time with his teammates inside the main dressing room. However, he must change his clothes in a separate room because of legal requirements for minors. The same arrangement will continue during India's five-match T20I series in England, which starts in Durham on July 1.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said the ICC's safeguarding rules will apply during the series, along with the ECB's own Safe Hands policy. "The Cricket Regulator is in contact with the Team Liaison Officer (TLO) for the Indian team to discuss requirements and expectations for the player while he is in the UK," the ECB told The Guardian. The ECB also said that safeguarding officers at every venue are working with India's team management to ensure all changing room protocols are followed.

To provide additional support, the BCCI has arranged for Sooryavanshi's parents to travel with him throughout the UK tour. They will stay in the team hotel, an exception made because of his age. "It is our understanding that the player's parents will be travelling with him at all times. They are staying in the same hotel, which is outside of usual protocol, but agreed on this occasion due to his age. This additional measure provides us with further confidence that he has family members who can provide the additional level of support and care," the ECB added.

Separate changing room arrangements for under-16 athletes are common in European sport. Young footballers such as Arsenal's Max Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri also followed similar procedures before turning 16. Despite these arrangements, Sooryavanshi is no stranger to senior dressing rooms. He has previously been part of the Bihar domestic team, Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and India A squads.