Anshula Rao, the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder has become the first woman cricketer in India to fail a drug test for using a banned performance-enhancing substance, according to a report of TOI. This is also the first time that a cricketer – male or female, senior or junior – has failed a dope test after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to come under the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) in August last year.
Anshula is a senior player of Madhya Pradesh team and tested positive for prohibited substance ’19-Norandrosterone’- an anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) which is a detectable metabolite of nandrolone. The right-hand batter who also bowls medium pace has been suspended by NADA after her urine sample report showed the traces of AAS in her body.
However, the report has come last month and NADA has already served the adverse analytical finding (AAF) notice of charge on Anshula Rao which led to her suspension. The news also came that the all-rounder has waived off her rights to ‘B’ sample testing.
As per the sources, Anshula Rao was tested in Baroda on March 14 this year before the COVID-19 lockdown starts during out-of-competition testing, although, there’s no news whether she was tested at her home or during the training camp for MP cricketers.
However, the NADA’s Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP) will now decide her quantum of punishment for her first-time offence, which could see a ban from two to four years. Meanwhile, NADA was surprised to see the presence of this anabolic steroid in the sample of a female cricketer.
19-Norandrosterone is popularly known for increasing muscle strength and mass, and quick recovery as well. It’s usually used by male athletes.
Anshula Rao, however, is a registered player with the BCCI as part of its affiliated unit MPCA and had last featured in BCCI’s under-23 T20 tournament 2019-20 as well. Earlier in June, five Indian cricketers KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma, had also received a notice from the NADA for failing to disclose their whereabouts as well.
