Indian cricketers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shafali Verma have received notices from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for failing to be available for scheduled dope tests last year, resulting in their first whereabouts failure.
According to PTI, both players are part of NADA’s Registered Testing Pool (RTP), which requires athletes to provide regular location updates and remain available for testing during a designated one-hour slot every day.
“It is learnt that the two players did not explain the reasons for the missed tests, leading to the notices,” PTI quoted a source as saying.
NADA declined to comment on the matter, citing confidentiality rules related to anti-doping procedures.
BCCI acknowledges communication from NADA
A Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) source confirmed that the board had received communication from NADA regarding the missed tests.
“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,” the source told PTI.
The source also highlighted the growing importance of strict anti-doping compliance with cricket set to return at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“Cricket is back in the Olympics and we need to adhere to all the protocols so that everything goes on smoothly,” the source added.
What is the registered testing pool?
Athletes included in NADA’s Registered Testing Pool are required to regularly update their whereabouts and remain available for random anti-doping tests. Under anti-doping regulations, three missed tests or whereabouts failures within a 12-month period can amount to an anti-doping rule violation and may lead to suspension.
Currently, 13 Indian cricketers are part of NADA’s RTP for the ongoing quarter, while the overall pool consists of 348 athletes across sports.
Among the notable names in the current RTP are Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh and Tilak Varma.
Recent additions to the pool include Abhishek Sharma and Axar Patel, who replaced Smriti Mandhana and Shreyas Iyer in the latest list.
From the Indian women’s team, Deepti Sharma, Shafali and Renuka Singh are currently part of the RTP.
Jaiswal is currently representing Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing IPL season, while Shafali recently featured in India’s white-ball tour of South Africa.