BCCI suspends Prithvi Shaw for doping violation for eight months

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has suspended Prithvi Shaw for eight months for a doping violation in the 2018-19 domestic season, according to media reports.

It has been reported that Shaw had inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups.

Shaw had provided a urine sample as part of the BCCI's anti-doping testing program during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match on February 22, 2019, in Indore.

The sample was subsequently tested and found to contain Terbutaline — a specified substance — that is prohibited both In & Out of Competition in the WADA Prohibited List of Substances.

On July 16, the cricketer was charged with the commission of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) under the BCCI Anti-Doping Rules (ADR) Article 2.1 and provisionally suspended pending determination of the charge. Shaw responded to the charge by admitting the ADRV but asserting that it was inadvertent, being caused by his ingestion of the over the counter cough syrup he had taken for his cough.

Shaw reiterated that he had taken Terbutaline unknowingly to treat a respiratory tract infection and not as a performance-enhancing drug.

Having considered all the evidence and an expert external advice, the BCCI accepted Shaw's explanation of the cause of his ADRV, and on that basis has agreed that a period of ineligibility of eight months should apply, together with the disqualification of certain results.