The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will now come under the ambit of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). This means India's cricketers will now be tested by NADA.

Up and coming India batsman Prithvi Shaw was recently suspended till November 15 after his urine sample tested positive for the substance Terbutaline.

A BCCI press release said Shaw had "inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups."

But Shaw's ban was backdated to March 16 even though he played for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League till May 8.

For long, BCCI has avoided using NADA to test its cricketers because the Indian cricket board is not very impressed with the efficinceies of the National Anti-Doping Agency. The BCCI had been vehemently opposed to signing up with NADA, claiming that it is an autonomous body, not a National Sports Federation and does not rely on government funding.

"If we would have been happy with NADA's performance then BCCI would not have had an issue," BCCI anti-doping manager Abhijit Salvi had told news agency AFP.

"I am sure you have read reports as well about NADA's inefficiencies."

However, Sports Secretary RS Julaniya said the BCCI now does have the discretion to say no: "BCCI does not have discretion to say no. All are same, everyone has to follow the same rules"

"The BCCI raised three issues before us about the quality of the dope testing kits, competence of pathologists and sample collection. We assured them that whatever facilities they want, we will provide but there will be some charge for it. But that higher facility will be equal for all NSFs. BCCI is no different from others. They have to follow the law of the land," Jhulaniya was quoted as saying by PTI.

"The BCCI will agree to the law of the land," said Johri, adding, "We have raised quite a few issues which the sports Secretary said will be addressed by them. We have agreed to bear the differential cost of high quality testing."

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