It has just become a trend, where some Pakistani cricketers, ex or out of team, make comments regarding the Indian team or players, which are nothing short of outrageous. Recently, opener Ahmed Shehzad went on to claim on Geo tv, that while ICC conducts dope tests on players from all nations, that doesn’t hold true for Indians.
The out-of-favor batter said, “BCCI does not allow the ICC to conduct dope tests on Indian players during ICC events. Whenever the ICC asks to conduct dope tests on Indian players, the BCCI rejects it and says they have better technology to test their players themselves,” said Shehzad.
But then nothing can be more alarmingly false than this. The Indian cricketers are tested by NADA (National Anti-Doping Agency), which is compliant by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency). The BCCI came under NADA back in 2019, where players are tested out-of-competition and even during the tournaments.
What took BCCI so long to come under NADA’s ambit?
There were largely two concerns to come under NADA’s testing. There is a whereabout clause – that requires the players to disclose their whereabout for an hour every day, for surprise testing. Given the security concern of the cricketers, that was a concern. Secondly, the BCCI is an autonomous body, and doesn’t come under the National Sports Federations.
Reasons for inclusion
Again, there are multiple reasons for eventual; compliance. 1. If cricket had to become an Olympic sport, all the cricketing boards had to be compliant with WADA. 2. There was pressure from the world body, that they did not comply, NADA could be de-recognised. 3. The Indian govt stepped-in too and an ultimatum was given.
Registered testing pool of NADA
Registered testing pool of NADA is a group of high-profile players who can be tested, essentially anytime, without prior notice, and must adhere to the whereabouts clause. It changes every quarter — and the first quarter of 2026 includes India Test skipper Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Shafali Verma, Tilak Varma, Jasprit Bumrah, Smriti Mandhana, and Renuka Singh Thakur.
Cricketers caught in past
| Player | Year | Substance | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prithvi Shaw | 2019 | Terbutaline | 8 months |
| Pradeep Sangwan | 2013 | Anabolic Steroid | 18 months |
| Yusuf Pathan | 2018 | Terbutaline | 5 months |
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