To curb age fraud, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has come out with a Voluntary Disclosure Scheme for registered players, like the one that exists for income tax defaulters. The aim of the scheme is to get cricketers to own up to falsification in their date of birth. If they do so before September 15 this year, they won’t face a two-year ban and will be allowed to play in age-group tournaments they are eligible for in the upcoming season.
One of the driving forces behind this offer is former India skipper Rahul Dravid, now the head (cricket) at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. Last season, the BCCI imposed two-year bans on 250 players, the most ever.
Dr Abhijit Salvi, the BCCI’s anti-doping, age verification and medical consultant, says brainstorming sessions started in October and culminated 10 months later with new measures being announced on Monday.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said: “We are committed to providing a level-playing field across all age groups.”