Following the discovery of an age issue, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken strict action against the left-arm spinner from Bengal, Rohit Yadav, imposing a two-year ban. Notably, three different birth certificates were found in Rohit's name, listing birth years as 2007, 2009, and 2010. Due to discrepancies in these documents, he is deemed ineligible for the age categories required for cricket participation.
Recently, Rohit was part of the Indian U-19 team and played for India during a tour of Sri Lanka in July, where he took 6 wickets and played a crucial role in the team's victory in the final match. Subsequently, he was selected for the Indian squad for the upcoming home series against the Australian U-19 team, scheduled for this month in Rajkot and Ahmedabad.
However, an inaccuracy regarding his age was identified during the verification of his documents while traveling to Sri Lanka. A source within the BCCI reported that he has been assigned a two-year ban.
Rohit is originally from Uttar Pradesh but is associated with the Bengal cricket community. When he registered with the Bengal Cricket Association (CAB), his documents listed his year of birth as 2007. Nevertheless, his Aadhaar records also showed different birth years at various times. In Aadhaar records updated in 2017 and 2020, the birth year was listed as 2006, which was later changed to 2009 in 2021.
After this matter became known, CAB preliminarily excluded Rohit from its youth teams and notified the BCCI. The board itself has now restricted his participation in domestic cricket for two years and informed all relevant regional cricket associations.
Rohit Yadav is not the only player against whom action has been taken due to document and age inconsistencies. CAB has invalidated registrations or transfers for 62 players in the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons due to document and age discrepancies. Among these players is fast bowler Ravi Kumar, who was a member of the Indian U-19 World Cup winning team in 2022; a 45-month age gap was found in CAB records. Additionally, left-arm all-rounder Vishal Bhatti is on this list, having played three first-class matches and two List-A matches.
CAB discovered long-standing discrepancies in the records of many other players across various age groups. Following a comprehensive review of documentation and age records, the Association published a list of these players on its website. This measure clearly indicates that the BCCI and regional cricket associations are now taking a much stricter stance on age issues in youth cricket compared to the past.