Earlier this month, teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made history by earning his maiden senior national call-up to India's T20I squad for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England, as well as for the 2026 Asian Games.
At 15 years and 71 days old, Sooryavanshi shattered Sachin Tendulkar's 36-year-old record to become the youngest-ever player selected to a senior Indian squad. He now stands on the cusp of becoming the youngest debutant for India in the two-match T20I series against Ireland, starting June 26 in Belfast,
While Sooryavanshi will be part of the Indian dressing room in England, he will have to use a separate changing room, The Guardian reported on Wednesday (June 26).
According to the report, the England series is an ICC-approved event and hence the world cricket governing body's 'safeguarding procedures' will be in place.
The report said, as per sources, both ICC and ECB prohibit under-16 players from using adult changing rooms, requiring separate facilities for the teenager. He will still be allowed inside the Indian team dressing room during matches and team talks.
“Sooryavanshi will be permitted in the India dressing room during the game and can attend team talks, with the restriction only applying when he is getting changed before and after each match,” the report stated.
“Such measures are standard practice in English sport, with Arsenal’s Max Dowman using a separate changing room to his teammates last season until he turned 16 in December but will be new to Sooryavanshi as they do not apply in India,” he added.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s India selection comes directly on the back of a record-breaking IPL 2026 campaign where he finished as the Most Valuable Player and Orange Cap winner for the Rajasthan Royals (RR), hammering 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.30. Along the way, he dominated high-profile bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood.
As Sooryavanshi gears up for his maiden series with India’s senior men’s team in UK, the BCCI will allow his parents to accompany him on the tour.
"You see, not all national teams at the senior level have a 14 or 15-year-old in their squad. After many decades, we have someone like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi," BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told PTI.
"At one point in time, it was Sachin Tendulkar (16 and a half at the time of his Test debut) who made it to the national team at such a young age. When such a young kid is part of the senior team, there are obviously a lot of issues that can crop up," he added.
"Therefore, to make him comfortable and help him get used to an adult environment, where all the other players are above 18 years of age, and the team management members are also adults, we felt it would be helpful. We are doing this because we believe it will ease a lot of issues as far as Vaibhav is concerned," he further stated.
Saikia gave the example of how senior teachers accompany students on school excursions. "Even when a school student goes on an excursion, there is usually a senior person accompanying them. Vaibhav is still a kid. He has only just come out of school, or is perhaps in his final year of school."
