Who is Rajan Kumar? Indian cricketer found positive for doping, slapped with suspension

Rajan Kumar (C)with his teammates (Source: X)

In what seems to be a big shock, the ‘doping’ sin has hit Indian cricket, followed by the National Anti-Doping Agency’s (NADA) intervention to take an immediate action. NADA had to step in after the Uttarakhand pacer, Rajan Kumar, tested positive for three restricted substances. 

A report in PTI on January 5 learned that NADA slapped the left-arm pacer with a provisional suspension. Notably, it has been one of the rare instances of doping in Indian cricket. Last time, it happened almost seven years ago in 2019, when the then-young batter Prithvi Shaw faced a ban for consuming Terbutaline, a prohibited substance banned for cricketers. 

Besides Shaw, it was MP all-rounder Anshula Rao who failed a dope test in 2020, followed by his suspension from competitive cricket in the aftermath.

A promising career fell prey to doping

Speaking of Uttarakhand's Rajan Kumar, he was in action for his state team in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025, which concluded last month. The 29-year-old also ended up as the leading wicket-taker for Uttarakhand in the tournament. He snared 13 wickets in seven innings, with a bowling strike rate of 8.34 and a four-wicket haul. 

He has also featured in four First-Class games, alongside playing nine List-A games for Uttarakhand. The Haridwar-born pacer has scalped eight First-Class wickets in eight innings. Apart from that, he has also claimed 14 wickets in nine innings, including a five-wicket haul. 

In his T20 career for Uttarakhand in domestic cricket, Rajan Kumar has so far picked 32 wickets in 26 innings, including a four-wicket haul. However, a statement is still awaited from Rajan Kumar after the provisional suspension, following his positive samples. 

---

ALSO READ

What Is Doping Test In Cricket? Are Bumrah, Hardik, Gill, SKY's India Future Under Threat?

---

Indian authorities asked to take aggressive measures

India’s Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya conveyed a ‘hard-lined’ message to the authorities to control doping. “He asked the authorities to go ahead with an aggressive approach to cope with the sin of ‘doping’ in sports.

“SAI and NADA (National Anti-Doping Agency) have been told to carry out aggressive awareness campaigns and if there are violators even after that, they have to be dealt with strict action,” sources close to developments told India Today. 

With India hosting the Commonwealth Games 2030 in Ahmedabad and eyeing the 2036 Olympics, the miserable doping figures have severely affected the country's sporting integrity. 

Notably, India topped the list of countries with the most doping violators in the testing figures released by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for three successive years. 

Countries with the most doping violations from 2022 to 2024 

In 2024, 260 AAF (adverse analytical findings) were detected from a total of 7,113 samples tested in India, which was the highest among the countries where at least 5000 samples were tested. The number of AAFs in India. There were 214 AAFs out of 5,606 samples tested in 2023, after 125 in 2022. 

India’s failure in dope control can be underscored by the fact that there was a difference of 169 AAFs between India and France, the country with the second-most number of AAFs (91). In 2023, the difference between India and France was 109, which reflects India's poor control over doping. 

---

ALSO READ

WADA Slams Indians For Not Testing Themselves In Last Two Years; Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Make Headlines

---