New Delhi, July 30:
Talented India opener Prithvi Shaw was on Tuesday banned from all forms of cricket for a period of eight months after failing a dope test, the BCCI said.
A BCCI release said Shaw had “inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups”.
Shaw’s suspension is retrospective in nature, starting from March 16 and ending on November 15 which rules him out for India’s home series against South Africa and Bangladesh.
“I accept my fate with all sincerity. While I am still nursing an injury which I suffered during my last tournament, this news has really shaken me,” Shaw issued a statement on twitter.
“Cricket is my life and there is no bigger pride for me than playing for India and Mumbai and I will come out of this faster and stronger,” he further stated.
Apart from Shaw, two other cricketers — Akshay Dullarwar and Divya Gajraj — were also suspended for the same offence.
Shaw had provided a urine sample as part of the BCCI’s anti-doping testing programme during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on February 22, 2019 in Indore. His sample was subsequently tested and found to contain terbutaline.
“Terbutaline, a specified substance, is prohibited both In and Out of Competition in the WADA Prohibited List of Substances,” the BCCI release stated.
“Prithvi Shaw registered with Mumbai Cricket Association, has been suspended for doping violation,” the BCCI said.
Terbutaline is generally used to treat problems related to breathing and can be consumed if the athlete in question avails a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) certificate in advance, which Shaw didn’t avail. Terbutaline comes under Beta-2 Agonists of banned substances that finds it mention in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list.
Shaw admitted that youngsters need to be more cautious while consuming over the counter medicines.
“I have to take this in my stride and hope it inspires others in our sports fraternity that we as athletes need to be extremely careful in taking any medicine for the smallest of medical ailments even if the medicine is available over the counter and we need to always follow the protocol,” he said.
The 19-year-old, who has played two Test matches for India scoring 237 runs with a hundred and a half-century, had earlier pulled out of India A’s one day and Test series against West Indies A reportedly due to a hip injury.
The 19-year-old junior World Cup winning skipper had made a mark last year, hitting a hundred on Test debut against the West Indies, but was sent back from the tour of Australia after twisting his ankle during a practice game. (PTI)
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