‘This has really shaken me... accept my fate with all sincerity’: Prithvi Shaw responds to doping violation ban
Prithvi Shaw was handed a ban by the BCCI for inadvertently consuming a prohibited substance.
India cricketer Prithvi Shaw on Tuesday responded to the doping violation that led to him being banned till November 15. The right-handed batsman was earlier handed a ban by the BCCI for consuming “inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups”. In response to the ban, Shaw wrote that he accepts his fate and hopes to return stronger and better from the ban.
“I have come to know today that I will not be able to play cricket till mid November 2019. This is in light of a prohibited substance present in the cough syrup which I inadvertently took when I had severe cough & cold while playing for my Mumbai team during Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament in Indies in Feb 2019,” Shaw wrote in a statement on Twitter.
Also read: Prithvi Shaw suspended for doping violation; ingested prohibited substance while taking cough syrup
“I was coming back off a foot injury which I suffered during the India tour of Australia & I was returning to active cricket in that tournament. However, out of my eagerness to play, I didn’t follow the protocol of being careful in consuming a basic over the counter cough syrup,” he added.
“I accept my fate with all sincerety. While I am still nursing an injury which I suffered during my last tournament, this news has really shaken me. I have to take this in my stride & hope it inspires others in our sports fraternity too in India 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 & we need to always follow the protocol,” he further wrote.
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Shaw added: “I thank BCCI for all the support & also my near & dear ones who have always stood by me. Cricket is my life & there is no bigger pride for me than playing for India & Mumbai and I will come out of this faster & stronger. Thank you again everyone for your support.”
Along with Shaw, two other domestic players -- Akshay Dullarwar of Vidarbha and Divya Gajraj of Rjasthan -- have also violated the cricket board’s anti-doping code.
Shaw’s period of suspension is eight months, starting from March 16 to November 15, effectively ruling him out of India’s home series against Bangladesh and South Africa.
