BCCI Devajit Saikia breaks silence on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi controversy after Sri Lanka A clash

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia addressed speculation surrounding Vaibhav’s recent on-field altercation with Sri Lanka A player Vishen Halambage during an India A match.

The incident attracted attention on social media after an argument between the two players escalated following an exchange of words.

Also Read: BCCI takes rare DECISION for 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi before India tour

Add Cricket Country as a Preferred Source

However, Saikia dismissed suggestions that the BCCI was planning to take disciplinary action against the youngster.

‘BCCI is not the match referee’: Devajit

The BCCI secretary made it clear that matters occurring during a match fall under the authority of match officials and not the board.

“A lot of things are going on in the social media that BCCI is contemplating action, etc. Do you want BCCI to step into the domain of match referee?“

“The BCCI is not an authority, we should not intrude into the area where the match referee and the umpires are the main persons who can take any decision regarding any incident that had happened in the playground.“

“Whatever had happened, it was a part of the game, and the BCCI have no role to play. The role is of the match referee. If anything is going wrong, he will take a call, the umpires will take a call, and there is a system in place.”

BCCI special arrangement to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Devajit Saikia also revealed that the board has allowed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s parents to accompany him during the tour of Ireland and England later this month.

The 15-year-old batter recently earned his maiden call-up to India’s T20 squad and is expected to feature in seven matches during the tour, including two games against Ireland and five against England.

Saikia said the board felt it was important to ensure the youngster remains comfortable while adjusting to a senior team environment filled with adult players and support staff.

“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.”

“At one point in time, it was Sachin Tendulkar (16 and half at time of 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.“

“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.”

Big opportunity awaits young star

Vaibhav’s upcoming tour will be one of the biggest moments of his young career. The teenager has already generated enormous excitement with his fearless batting and is now set to experience life in the senior Indian dressing room.

With the support of his family and the backing of the BCCI, the youngster will hope to make the most of a tour that could mark the beginning of a long international journey.