Star India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja gave dope samples thrice between January and May this year which makes him the most tested cricketer during this period, according to data released by the National Anti-Doping Agency (Nada).
Altogether, 55 cricketers (male and female, 58 samples) underwent dope testing in the first five months of this year, with more than half of the samples taken ‘Out Of Competition’ (OOC), according to a recent list put up by the Nada on its website.
This meant that the number of samples collected from cricketers this year is expected to be much more than the previous two years. According to the data, the Nada had collected 54 and 60 samples from the cricketers in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
India cricket captain Rohit Sharma and ace batsman Virat Kohli were not tested during the first five months of this year. Hardik Pandya, who has been leading the India T20I side for some time, underwent one test — OOC urine sample in April.
In 2021 and 2022, Rohit was the most tested cricketer with three samples each, according to the Nada data of the two years. Kohli was not tested in 2021 and neither in 2022.
Around 20 samples in 2022 were from women cricketers. But in the first five months of this year, only India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana were tested once each with OOC urine samples collected in Mumbai on January 12.
