(Cricket news) Jadeja was subjected to doping tests on three separate occasions between January and May this year, establishing him as the cricketer who underwent the highest number of tests during this time frame, as indicated by data recently disclosed by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).
In the initial five months of this year, a total of 55 cricketers including Jadeja (both male and female), encompassing 58 samples, were subjected to doping examinations. The majority of these samples, more than half, were collected “Out Of Competition” (OOC), according to a recent roster published by NADA on its official website. This substantial increase in OOC samples hints at the likelihood of a higher volume of samples being amassed from cricketers this year compared to the preceding two years.
Statistical data reveals that in 2021 and 2022, NADA collected 54 and 60 samples, respectively, from cricketers. It is noteworthy that during the initial five months of 2023, prominent Indian cricket figures such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli did not undergo any testing and Jadeja went through 58 samples.
In contrast, Hardik Pandya, who has been leading the Indian T20 International side, participated in one “Out Of Competition” (OOC) urine test in April. Notably, in the years 2021 and 2022, Rohit Sharma emerged as the most frequently tested cricketer with three samples each, according to NADA records for those years. Virat Kohli, on the other hand, remained untested in both 2021 and 2022. In 2022, around 20 of the samples collected were from female cricketers.
During the initial five months of this year, a mere two women cricketers—India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana—underwent testing, each providing a single “out-of-competition” urine sample on January 12 in Mumbai.
Approximately 20 samples of Jadeja were acquired during competition, with the Indian Premier League (IPL) likely accounting for most of them for Jadeja. Out of the 58 samples collected, seven were blood samples, with the remainder being urine samples.
All three of Ravindra Jadeja’s samples were urine samples, collected out of competition on February 19, March 26, and April 26. Thangarasu Natarajan underwent two tests, one involving urine and the other involving blood, both conducted on April 27. Blood tests offer the advantage of detecting substances that might not be readily apparent in urine and also enable the establishment of an athlete’s biological passport, which involves monitoring specific biomarkers over time to detect potential use of performance-enhancing substances or methods.
Other notable Indian cricketers who were subjected to doping tests from January to May this year encompassed Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Wriddhiman Saha, Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ambati Rayudu, Piyush Chawla, and Manish Pandey.
Similarly, numerous foreign cricket stars were also subjected to doping tests during April, predominantly during the IPL season. This testing included figures like David Wiese, David Miller, Cameron Green, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, David Warner, Rashid Khan, David Willey, Trent Boult, Marcus Stoinis, Mark Wood, Adam Zampa, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, and Jofra Archer. The majority of these tests involved urine samples, although a few blood samples were also provided.
Prominent athletes from various other sports were also part of the doping testing regimen during these five months. This list encompassed Olympic medallist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, boxer Lovlina Borgohain, shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth, wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat, and hockey players Harmanpreet Singh, PR Sreejesh, and Savita Punia, among others.
The comprehensive NADA list spans more than 60 pages, suggesting a potential total of over 1500 samples collected.
Notably, Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat, who led a sit-in protest earlier this year, alleging sexual harassment of some female wrestlers by outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, were subjected to two urine samples—on February 20 and March 19—and one blood sample on March 19, all conducted out of competition in Sonipat.
Lovlina Borgohain underwent two instances of testing, both out of competition, providing both urine and blood samples on March 19 and May 7.
