Indian team skipper Rohit Sharma was subjected to the highest number of tests, with dope control officers visiting him on six occasions
In a recent development, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) released a scathing report on India’s anti-doping program, highlighting insufficient drug tests conducted on the country’s athletes. These findings are corroborated by data obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act of 2005, specifically regarding the number of doping tests conducted on Indian cricketers in 2021 and 2022, The Indian Express reported.
Cricket was brought under the purview of the government-operated National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) in August 2019. At the time, government officials made a commitment to subject all cricketers to NADA testing, emphasizing that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should be treated no differently than other sports federations.
Data provided by NADA reveals that a total of 5,961 tests were conducted between 2021 and 2022, with a mere 114 of those tests administered to cricketers. In stark contrast, athletics accounted for the highest number of tests conducted, totaling 1,717.
During this two-year period, Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Indian cricket team, was subjected to the highest number of tests, with dope control officers visiting him on six occasions in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai, and the UAE. Conversely, seven players, including Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, and Cheteshwar Pujara, were tested only once.
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Strikingly, the NADA did not conduct any tests on 12 out of the 25 male players under contract with the BCCI. Among those not tested are former India captain Virat Kohli, current limited-overs skipper Hardik Pandya, fast bowlers Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, and Arshdeep Singh, as well as Shreyas Iyer and Deepak Hooda, wicket-keeper batsmen Sanju Samson and Srikar Bharat, and all-rounder Washington Sundar.
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