Minor modification Playing against a 13-year-old with “a full grown beard,” Aakash Chopra recalls

On Thursday, in response to internet rumors of a player being detained for age fraud, a former Indian cricketer remembered a time when he squared off against a “bearded” 13-year-old.

Aakash Chopra recalled playing an age-group match as a kid in which the other team’s “youngster” had “a full grown beard.”

“Minor modification, it appears I played as a U-16 player in a Delhi vs. Punjab game in which one opponent had a full beard…He replied, “Facial hair grows very early in our family. Hamare family mein beard thodi jaldi aa jati hai,” according to Aakash Chopra, who was on paper a few years younger than me (I was 15; he was 13).

Amol Kolpe, a ‘young’ cricket player from Pune, was detained by the Baramati City police in an age-fraud case and given a 14-day magistrate’s detention sentence, according to a story in The Times of India on Thursday.

In January, the player participated in the Under-19 Invitational League Qualifying Round of the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA).

Kolpe filed paperwork with his birthdate of September 28, 2007, but an investigation uncovered another document with his birthdate of February 15, 1999.

“We had examined the records that the complainant had provided. Following verification, we asked the Malegaon (Nashik district) child about lying about his age before having him detained. His three-day jail custody, which had been issued on Sunday by a magisterial court, terminated on Tuesday. He may now request a standard bond as he has been placed in magistrate’s custody, according to Inspector Sunil Mahadik of the Baamati City police, who was cited by TOI.

“We will gather all the records pertaining to Kolpe’s actual date of birth and those the young player presented for the competition he participated in earlier this year in Baramati. The involvement of other people in the case will also be investigated, Mahadik said.

“We were not aware of the caliber or quality of games Amol would be playing or the age group he would be participating in when he traveled for Baramati earlier this year to compete in a cricket tournament. I don’t know,” Kiran, Kolpe’s older brother, told TOI.

“I contacted the police since the relevant (tournament) officials handled the situation in an inept manner. Incorrectly handling the overage problem is nothing more than jeopardizing the futures of young athletes who abide by the rules, Nana Satav, a team representative for one of Kolpe’s competitors in the competition, told TOI.