'Cricket is my life and there is no bigger pride for me than playing for India and Mumbai and I will come out of this faster and stronger.'
A beleaguered Prithvi Shaw admitted the eight-month doping ban has "shaken him" but at the same time vowed to come out stronger from the setback.
The BCCI on Tuesday banned the 19-year-old from all forms of the game till November 15 for failing a dope test. The teenager had inadvertently consumed a banned substance terbutaline without availing Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) certificate.
"I accept my fate with all sincerity. While I am still nursing an injury which I suffered during my last tournament, this news has really shaken me," Shaw tweeted.
A BCCI release said Shaw had "inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups".
Shaw's suspension is retrospective in nature, starting from March 16 and ending on November 15.
"I have to take this in my stride and hope it inspires others in our sports fraternity 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 and we need to always follow the protocol," said Shaw, who has played two Tests.
"Cricket is my life and there is no bigger pride for me than playing for India and Mumbai and I will come out of this faster and stronger."
Shaw had provided a urine sample as part of the BCCI's anti-doping testing programme during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on February 22, 2019 in Indore. His sample was subsequently tested and found to contain terbutaline.
"This is in the light of a prohibited substance present in the cough syrup which I inadvertently took when I had severe cough and cold while playing in Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament in Indore in February.
"I was coming off a foot injury which I suffered during the India tour of Australia and I was returning to active cricket in that tournament. Out of my eagerness to play, I didn't follow the protocol of being careful in consuming a basic over the counter cough syrup," Shaw added.
