Left-handed opening batsman Manjot Kalra, one of the stars of India’s successful under-19 World Cup campaign in New Zealand in 2018, has been banned from playing in the Ranji Trophy, India’s premier domestic first-class competition, for age fraud.
The ban was handed down by the DDCA (Delhi & District Cricket Association) for age fraud – in essence, lying about his age during his time playing Under-16 and Under-19 cricket, and playing in tournaments that he was not qualified for because he was too old.
The order was issued by DDCA Ombudsman Justice (Retired) Badar Durrez Ahmed in his last day in office, and prevents Kara from playing age group cricket for two years. He will also not be able to play in the Ranji Trophy this year. That comes as a major blow to Kalra who was set to make his first class debut for Delhi as a replacement for the injured Shikhar Dhawan.
He is also prevented from playing club matches, and his parents will have to wait for a change of ombudsman before they can appeal the order.
Kalra according to BBCI records is 20 years and 352 days, played last week for Delhi under-23 against Bengal, scoring 80 in the process.
Instead Dhawan’s place will be taken by middle order batsman Vaibhav Kandpal, with fast bowling all-rounder Siddhant Sharma drafted into replacement Indian seamer Ishant Sharma.
There does appear to be a discrepancy between how Kalra, who scored a century in the under-19 World Cup final, has been treated compared to the case if Delhi senior team vice captain Nitish Rana, who has been accused of a similar offence. He has, for the time being, escaped sanction, whilst more documents are being sought to determine if he fudged his age whilst playing at junior level, including his birth-certificate and other records.
And, another under-19 star, Shivam Mavi could also be in trouble, although, in his case, the matter has been referred to the BCCI because he now represents Uttar Pradesh in senior cricket.
Age fraud is more commonly associated with football, with a number of African players, in particular, having been found guilty of lying about their age, with local records often making it difficult to verify when exactly they were born.
