In a notable development with the aim of tightening the integrity of age-group cricket in India, Cricket Control Board in India (BCCI) Has been amended for your long time Age verification program By presenting a second chance for young cricketers to validate your age through bone test.
BCCI modifies the age verification protocol to include second bone test for fairness
According to the Cricbuzz report, the latest Apex Council meeting comes in response to the approved decisions, accuracy of the assessment of the bone era and increasing concerns over the fairness of the age-group eligibility rules. Earlier, the AVP of BCCI had allowed a single bone test for boys aged only 14–16 years and girls between 12–15 years of age. The process used to add an entire year at the age of a player’s test bone is used to determine their ‘mathematical era’ for participation in the BCCI-uptake junior tournament.
The report further stated that under the new AVP rules, if a player is less than the age limit according to his birth certificate, they will now be allowed to tested a second bone testing in the later year. Whether this second test should show a bone age within the permissible range, the player may continue to participate in the age-group category. This change will benefit girls competing not only to boys but also in similar age brackets.
This step is a direct acceptance that while bone test is a scientific grounded method, it is not devoid of discrepancies. External factors such as ethnicity, nutrition, genetics and regional inequalities can affect the maturity of the skeleton and slightly incorrect bone test results. Thus, the introduction of a repetitive test is being welcomed as more kind and scientifically as a sound approach that also protects worthy talents from disqualification based on the results of the boundary line.
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Combat age fraud: BCCI harassed verification with Aadhaar and state coordination
Beyond bone test, BCCI has suffered more disturbing issues in recent years – age fraud and copying during medical evaluation. In an attempt to beat the system, many parents were sent to younger brothers -safety or unrelated minors to undergo bone tests in place of real players, ensuring eligibility through deceit. These examples of identity manipulation became a matter of concern for both the Central Board and the state associations.
According to the report, in response, the BCCI has now now introduced compulsory base-based verification, which involves presenting Aadhaar documents with current photographs, to ensure that the child undergoing tests is actually a player registered with the State Association. The purpose of tightening this proximity is to restore reliability and transparency in the selection process and to prevent talented youth from pushing honest youth by dishonest practices.
Bone tests are conducted by themselves annually before the domestic season starts, usually during the months of July and August. Each affiliated state association is allocated a specific testing window, during which the BCC-appointed medical staff visits the nominated hospitals to conduct X-ray tests. The AVP has played an important role in maintaining fairness in junior cricket competitions, but the decision to develop it further through a second test shows the awareness of the board that science should work with hand to work with fairness, especially when career and young athletes’ dreams are at stake. BCCI, a cleaner, is paving the way for a more reliable ecosystem in Indian cricket at the grassroots level, by balanced with rigor with sympathy.
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