One person, three birthdays!
It isn’t possible in reality. But on paper, India Under-19 leg-spinner Rohit Yadav has three birth years — 2008, 2009 and 2010. The cricketer, who toured Sri Lanka just about a month ago, has been banned from all forms of cricket for two years by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for age fraud.
The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) found discrepancies regarding Rohit while conducting a pre-season document-verification program for its players. PTI reported that three different birth certificates were found in his name, listing 2008, 2009 and 2010.
According to reports, discrepancies were also found in Rohit’s Aadhaar card details. His CAB registration listed his birth year as 2007. Meanwhile, his Aadhaar records, updated in 2017 and 2020, showed his birth year as 2006. It was later changed to 2009 in 2021.
After so many conflicting pieces of information about his age emerged, Rohit was withdrawn from India’s Under-19 squad for the upcoming Australia tour.
Rohit is not alone. CAB has banned 64 other cricketers over similar age discrepancies. Among them is Ravi Kumar, a pacer on India’s 2022 Under-19 World Cup-winning team. All his age-group cricket records up to the 2025-26 season will be considered void. Cricket website Cricinfo reported that Ravi Kumar’s age discrepancy exceeded 40 months.
The BCCI has taken various steps in the past to curb age fraud. In 2020, alongside punishing offenders, the board also proposed a general amnesty plan. Under that arrangement, registered players who voluntarily admitted to age discrepancies and submitted their correct date of birth could avoid temporary suspension. However, if evidence of a violation was found later, they would still face a ban.