REPORTS: Is Yashasvi Jaiswal OUT from Indian Team?

The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has reportedly issued initial whereabouts violation notices to Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shafali Verma after officials failed to reach them for scheduled dope-control tests at their declared locations.

The matter has also been communicated to the richest cricket board in the world, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), while both players have been given a chance to clarify the situation and provide their reasons for the missed tests.

Since the duo is part of NADA’s Registered Testing Pool (RTP), they are required to regularly update their whereabouts for anti-doping checks. This is said to be the first recorded violation of this nature for both cricketers.

How Will Yashasvi Jaiswal Dope Test Be Conducted?

The timing of the incident is significant for one of the best openers in the world, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is currently representing the Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing IPL season. Cricketers who are part of NADA’s Registered Testing Pool must regularly submit details of their whereabouts, including a fixed one-hour window during which they can be located for out-of-competition doping checks.

During that period, a Doping Control Officer (DCO) is authorised to visit the specified venue and collect samples. If the athlete is unavailable at the declared location, it is treated as a whereabouts failure under anti-doping rules.

As per the notices issued, officials attempted to test Yashasvi Jaiswal on December 17 last year, but he could not be located at the address he had provided. NADA subsequently contacted him for clarification on February 18 and February 20, respectively. However, with no response submitted, so the agency proceeded to record their first missed-test violations.

Will Yashasvi Jaiswal Be Banned from the Indian Team?

Some fans were wondering on social media about Yashasvi Jaiswal ban from the Indian team, but under anti-doping regulations, one missed test alone is not treated as a formal rule violation. However, if there are three whereabouts failures over a 12-month period, it can trigger disciplinary proceedings for breaching anti-doping guidelines. In cases where the player fails to justify before NADA’s disciplinary panel, the punishment can extend to a ban of as long as two years.

The latest development has also brought back memories of Prithvi Shaw’s doping case in 2019. The former Indian opener received an eight-month ban after the BCCI stated that he had accidentally taken a banned substance through a cough syrup.

Shaw’s urine sample was collected during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in February 2019, and the test later showed the presence of Terbutaline. The substance is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) both during competitions and outside tournament periods.