Yashasvi, Shafali get NADA notices for missed dope tests
Indian cricketers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shafali Verma have been issued notices by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for not being available for scheduled dope tests last year, leading to their first whereabouts failure.
It is reliably learnt that the two players, who are a part of the NADA’s Registered Testing Pool (RTP), did not explain the reasons for the missed tests, leading to the notices.
“Notices have been issued to the concerned athletes, and the same has been intimated to the national federation (the BCCI) and the ICC,” a well-placed source said even though NADA declined comment citing confidentiality of the procedure.
On being contacted, a BCCI source also confirmed the development.
“Yes, we have received notification from NADA on missed tests. We will check with them as to how it happened, and will take necessary steps so that such things do not happen in future.
“Cricket is back in the Olympics and we need to adhere to all the protocols so that everything goes on smoothly,” the BCCI source said, referring to cricket’s inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games roster.
Yashasvi is currently playing in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals, while Shafali was part of the Indian women’s team that recently toured South Africa for a white-ball series.
Athletes in the RTP are required to share their whereabouts with the anti-doping agency and be available for testing in a specified window every day.
Three missed tests are considered a doping violation and can lead to suspensions. Currently, 13 cricketers are part of NADA’s RTP for the ongoing quarter. The list features 348 athletes in all.
India’s T20 World Cup-winning stars Abhishek Sharma and Axar Patel were the most noticeable recent additions to the pool, which is dominated by athletics.
Abhishek and Axar replaced Smriti Mandhana and Shreyas Iyer in the latest list.
Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh and Tilak Verma are also among those in the group.
From the women’s team, which won a historic ODI World Cup last year, all-rounder Deepti Sharma, Shafali and Renuka Singh Thakur are there in the RTP.
