Both athletes are members of NADA’s Registered Testing Pool (RTP), which mandates that players regularly update their locations and be available for testing during a specific time slot each day. Reports indicate that neither player provided an explanation for missing the tests, which led to the issuance of notices by the anti-doping agency.
“Notices have been sent to the respective athletes, and the national federation (the BCCI) and the ICC have been informed,” a reliable source shared with PTI, although NADA refrained from commenting due to the confidentiality of the process.
When contacted, a source from BCCI confirmed the news.
“Yes, we have received communication from NADA regarding the missed tests. We will inquire into how this occurred and will implement necessary measures to ensure it does not happen again in the future.
“With cricket returning to the Olympics, we must comply with all protocols to ensure a smooth process,” the BCCI source stated to PTI, referencing cricket’s inclusion in the lineup for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Jaiswal is currently playing for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, while Shafali recently participated in India’s women’s tour of South Africa for the white-ball series. According to anti-doping regulations, three missed tests or whereabouts failures can trigger a doping violation, possibly leading to suspension.
At present, 13 cricketers are included in NADA’s RTP for the ongoing quarter. The overall list comprises 348 athletes.
Recently, T20 World Cup champions Abhishek Sharma and Axar Patel were notable new additions to the pool, which is primarily dominated by athletics.
Abhishek and Axar replaced Smriti Mandhana and Shreyas Iyer on the most recent list.
Among those in the group are Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh, and Tilak Verma.
From the women’s team that achieved historic success in the ODI World Cup last year, all-rounder Deepti Sharma, Shafali, and Renuka Singh Thakur are also part of the RTP.
