NADA Test: Jadeja most tested Indian cricketer so far in 2023, 58 samples collected in first 5 month
New Delhi, Aug 9: Star India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja gave dope samples thrice between January and May this year, making 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 respectively from the cricketers in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
India captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli were not tested during the first five months of 2023.
Hardik Pandya, who has been leading the India T20 International side for some time, underwent one test -- 'Out Of Competition' (OOC) urine sample in April.
In 2021 and 2022, Rohit was the most tested cricketer with three samples each, according to NADA data of the two years.
Kohli was not tested in 2021 and 2022 also. Around 20 samples in 2022 were from women cricketers.
But, in the first five months of this year, only two women cricketers -- India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana -- were tested once each -- out-of-competition urine samples collected in Mumbai on January 12.
Around 20 samples were taken in competition, most of them likely during the Indian Premier League.
There were seven blood samples out of the 58, all the remaining being urine.
All of Jadeja's three samples were of urine, and taken out of competition on February 19, March 26 and April 26.
Thangarasu Natarajan underwent two tests, one urine and one blood -- both on April 27.
Blood testing allows detection of additional substances that in some cases may not be able to be found in urine.
Additionally, blood samples allow the use of longitudinal data collection, often called the athlete biological passport.
Longitudinal data collection monitors certain bio markers over time to detect the use of performance-enhancing substances and/or methods.
Other prominent Indian cricketers who underwent dope tests from January to May this year include Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Wriddhiman Saha, Dinesh Karthik, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ambati Rayudu, Piyush Chawla and Manish Pandey.
Some of the star players from abroad who underwent dope tests were David Wiese, David Miller, Cameron Green, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, David Warner, Rashid Khan, David Willey, Trent Boult, Marcus Stoinis, Mark Wood, Adam Zampa, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone and Jofra Archer.
All the tests on foreign players were conducted in April (during IPL season), most of them urine samples but a few provided blood samples also.
Prominent players from other sports who underwent dope tests during these five months include Olympic medallist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, boxer Lovlina Borgohain, shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth, wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat, hockey players Harmanpreet Singh, PR Sreejesh and Savita Punia, among others.
The overall NADA list runs into more than 60 pages and the number of samples could be more than 1500.
Bajrang and Vinesh, who led a sit-in protest earlier this year, alleging sexual harassment of some female grapplers by outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, gave two urine samples -- on February 20 and March 19 -- and one blood sample on March 19, all of them out of competitions and in Sonipat.
Lovlina gave urine and blood samples on two occasions -- March 19 and May 7, all out of competition.
Track and athletes were tested the most with around 500 samples, followed by weightlifting (around 200), boxing (more than 100), shooting and wrestling (more than 70 each), and football and hockey (more than 50 each).
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T'gana RTC strike: Talks between govt, employees successful
Hyderabad (PTI): Talks between employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) who were on strike and the state government concluded successfully on Friday as the government agreed to the key demands of the workmen.
Following a day-long marathon of talks between the leaders of the employees' Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the cabinet sub-committee, the government announced after midnight that it acceded to the demands, including a merger of RTC with the government, 11 per cent pay revision and elections to the employees' unions.
A committee comprising officials and employee leaders would be appointed over the merger of RTC with the government, it said.
The RTC management has also agreed to address the remaining issues as well, an official release said.
The employees would call off their strike and the RTC buses would hit the roads shortly, it said.
The employees had been on an indefinite strike since April 22 over a series of demands, including the merger of RTC with the government.
Earlier in the day, a driver of the RTC, who attempted suicide on April 23 during the strike, died at a hospital here in the early hours of Friday.
Shankar Goud, a 55-year-old driver, set himself ablaze by pouring petrol at Narsampet in Warangal district when the employees were staging a protest on Thursday in support of their demands.
Goud suffered serious burns, was initially admitted to a state-run hospital in Warangal, and later shifted to a super-speciality hospital in Hyderabad for advanced treatment.
"He succumbed (to injuries) at about 1.30 am on Friday," a senior official said.
The driver’s body was taken to his relative’s village, Muttojipet in Warangal district, for funeral rites.
Tension prevailed in Muttojipet as his family members and RTC employees attempted to take the body to the Narsampet bus station, where he worked, to enable his colleagues to pay their last respects. However, police did not permit this, citing law-and-order concerns.
This led to a deadlock before the funeral could proceed.
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar criticised the Telangana government for not allowing the body to be taken to the Narsampet bus station.
Kumar, Minister of State (Home), visited Muttojipet village in Warangal district, where the funeral was held, and paid homage to Goud.
“They (family members) want to take the body to the bus depot for five minutes. Is the RTC bus depot in Pakistan or Bangladesh? They are emotionally attached to taking the body there. The government is hurting sentiments and creating fear among RTC employees,” Kumar told reporters.
He also expressed anger at the police for not allowing the body to be taken to the bus station and staged a protest, according to a release from his office.
RTC employees and BJP workers attempted to take the mortal remains in an ambulance to Narsampet, but were stopped by the police.
Later, after discussions with the police, the family members and RTC employees agreed to conduct the funeral in the village.
Sanjay Kumar, stating he would abide by the family’s decision, left the village after the funeral was conducted there.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh, a house, and a government job would be provided to the kin of Goud.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the employee’s death and conveyed deep condolences to the grieving family, according to the release.
The RTC employees’ JAC had earlier announced an agitation programme from April 24 to 29, including silent marches and submission of memorandums to MLAs and other leaders.
