Cricket Ireland has confirmed that teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will be provided with a separate dressing room arrangement during India's two-match T20I series in Ireland, starting at the Civil Service Cricket Ground in Stormont on Friday.
The move ensures that strict compliance with mandatory child safeguarding policies and UK law is maintained for 15-year-old Sooryavanshi. "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, etc. Our procedures and policies are in line with best practice in the UK," a Cricket Ireland spokesperson told IANS on Wednesday.
The protocol means Sooryavanshi is fully permitted inside the main Indian team dressing room for tactical team meetings, strategy discussions, and match-day interactions, but he must utilise a separate dressing room for changing his clothes.
The development comes after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had said that Sooryavanshi will have separate changing room facilities for the subsequent five-match T20I series in England, commencing in Durham on July 1.
“This is an ICC event, with their safeguarding procedures active as they have jurisdiction. A safeguarding concern occurring during the event may (in some circumstances) be managed by the ICC. In addition to this, the ECB Safe Hands policy applies at all times," the ECB was quoted as saying in 'The Guardian'.
“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,” it further added. To provide an additional layer of care, Sooryavanshi’s parents are accompanying him throughout the United Kingdom tour and staying in the official team hotels, with their trip funded entirely by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
“Each County Safeguarding Officer for the relevant cricket venue is also working closely with the Team Liaison Officer to ensure venue protocols and arrangements (specifically changing room environments) are understood and adhered to. This is conducted via safeguarding risk assessments.
“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,” further said the ECB.
Such distinct arrangements are a staple in European football for underage athletes, such as Arsenal's Max Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri, who used separate changing facilities until turning 16. Sooryavanshi, meanwhile, has previously shared senior dressing rooms with Bihar in domestic cricket, Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, and India A.
An international debut on trips to Ireland and England will see him surpass the legendary Sachin Tendulkar's long-standing record of 16 years and 205 days to become India's youngest men's international cricket debutant.