NADA issues notice to Yashasvi, Shafali!

The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has reportedly issued notices to Indian cricketers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shafali Verma for a whereabouts failure under anti-doping regulations.

Both players are currently part of the NADA's Registered Testing Pool (RTP) and are subject to regular testing and must provide their whereabouts information so they can be located for no-advance-notice testing.

Athletes in NADA’s Registered Testing Pool are required to provide whereabouts information every quarter, which includes home address, email address and phone number, an address for overnight accommodations; competition schedules and locations, including when they are taking place and where; and a 60-minute time slot for each day where they’ll be available and accessible for testing and liable for a potential 'missed test'.

As per Amar Ujala report, Dope Control Officer (DCO) arrived to conduct tests on Yashasvi Jaiswal on December 17 of last year and on Shafali Verma on November 7 of last year, but both were not found at their specified locations.

NADA sought explanations from both cricketers on February 18 and 20 of this year, but neither provided a response. Consequently, NADA has officially recorded a "first missed test" for both players.

The report further said both cricketers have been given seven days to provide an explanation. Information regarding the missed tests of both players has also been shared with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the ICC

Now, both cricketers will have to be extremely cautious, as any combination of three Whereabouts Failures (filing failures and/or missed tests) within a 12-month period constitutes an anti-doping rule violation under NADA anti-doping rules – Article 2.4, which may lead to the imposition of a sanction for up to 4 years.