Ravindra Jadeja has been the cricketer who was tested the most by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) from January to May this year. Information on NADA’s website reveals that Jadeja went through three drug tests during this time.
In the first five months of this year, 55 cricket players, including both males and females, were tested for drugs. Over half of these tests happened when the players were not competing, indicating that the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) is being active in preventing doping. This big change might lead to more tests on cricketers compared to the past two years.
Ravindra Jadeja was tested three times
NADA gathered 54 and 60 samples from cricket players in 2021 and 2022, respectively. But at the same time this year, popular players like India’s captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were not tested. Interestingly, another famous all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, had a urine test done in April when not in competition. On the other hand, in 2021 and 2022, Rohit Sharma was tested three times each year, while Kohli didn’t undergo any tests by NADA.
The rise in drug tests also involved a clear increase in tests on female cricket players. While around 20 samples were gathered from women players in 2022, the initial five months of 2023 saw only two women cricketers, India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur and the left-handed batter, Smriti Mandhana, being tested.
Importantly, most of these samples were taken while the players were competing, probably during the Indian Premier League (IPL). Among the 58 samples in total, seven were collected as blood samples, while the rest were urine samples. In Jadeja’s case, his tests were only urine samples. Meanwhile, another player, Thangarasu Natarajan, underwent two tests in April – one urine test and one blood test.
Famous Indian cricket players who were tested for drugs from January to May include Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, and Mohammed Siraj, among others. David Warner, Rashid Khan, and Jofra Archer also had these tests during the Indian Premier League season.
