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Ravindra Jadeja, the star all-rounder for India, provided dope samples three times between January and May of this year, making him the most-tested cricketer during this time, according to data given by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). A total of 55 cricketers (male and female, 58 samples) underwent drug testing in total in the first five months of this year, with more than half of the samples obtained "Out Of Competition" (OOC).
During the first five months of 2023, neither the India skipper Rohit Sharma nor Virat Kohli faced any tests. 'Out Of Competition' (OOC) urine sample was the only test that Hardik Pandya, who has been captaining India's T20 International team for some time, underwent in April. As a result, this year's sample collection from cricket players is anticipated to be substantially larger than it was the previous two. The NADA had taken 54 and 60 samples from the cricketers in 2021 and 2022, respectively, according to the statistics.
According to NADA data from the previous two years, Rohit Sharma was the cricketer who was tested the most with three samples each in 2021 and 2022 while Virat Kohli was not tested in 2021 or 2022. In 2022, there were about 20 samples from female cricket players.
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However, only two female cricket players—India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy, Smriti Mandhana—were tested once each in the first five months of this year. The tests were out-of-competition urine samples that were taken in Mumbai on January 12. Twenty or so samples were collected during a match, the majority of them probably during the Indian Premier League (IPL). Out of the 58 samples, seven had blood; the rest all contained the urine of the players. Urine made up each of Jadeja's three samples, which were taken off the pitch on February 19, March 26, and April 26.
David Wiese, David Miller, Cameron Green, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and David Warner were among the international stars who had their body tested for drugs. All of them underwent testing in April of this year, during the IPL's 2023 season.
Famous athletes from various sports, such as Olympic medalist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, boxer Lovlina Borgohain, shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth, among others, were subjected to drug tests over these five months. With around 500 samples, track and field athletes received the most testing, followed by weightlifters with about 200, boxers with more than 100, shooters and wrestlers with more than 70 each, and football and hockey players with more than 50 apiece.
