Rahul Sharma, party & drugs: BCCI says it will wait till facts are verified, Ganguly asks leniency for leg-spinner

Indian cricket’s image suffered another blow on Saturday when leg-spinner Rahul Sharma tested positive for recreational drugs after a rave party in Mumbai during the Indian Premier League, Season V. Rahul, who is part of India's limited-overs squad in Sri Lanka, and his Pune Warriors teammate Wayne Parnell were among the 94 people detained by the Mumbai police after a raid at a rave party in a Mumbai suburb on May 20. Rahul and Parnell are part of the 44 whose test results were awaited. Earlier, of the 46 samples that were tested in the first batch, 44 had tested positive, says a report in Hindustan Times.

The report says that though the Board of Control for Cricket in India said it would like to wait till facts were verified, looking at the Board's zero tolerance towards any breach of discipline, Rahul faces strict action if found guilty.

“A total of 90 persons were detained by us during the raid. We had received the report on 46 persons and a report on the remaining 44 persons was received today. Of the 90, 86 have tested positive while two males and two females have tested negative,” Vishwas Nangre-Patil, Mumbai Additional Commissioner of Police (Western Region), told The Hindu on Friday.

While Rahul Sharma is accompanying the Indian cricket team for the limited-overs tour to Sri Lanka, Wayne Parnell is in South Africa, informed sources said. Of the 90, 38 were women and 52 men.

Giving the break-up of those who tested positive, police said that of the 42, three tested positive for cocaine and cannabis, 35 tested positive for only cannabis and four tested positive for cannabis and MDMA. “Eighteen have tested positive for alcohol,” a police official said.
All of them will be booked under Section 27 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act for consumption of drugs. Under Section 64, those found to have consumed drugs for the first time could be sent for rehabilitation and de-addiction.

Meanwhile a HT report says that the Punjab cricket fraternity appeared to be in a state of shock. "It's hard for me to believe. Knowing Rahul, who doesn't even drink beer, it's surprising," said Vikram Rathore, Punjab's Ranji Trophy coach.

"It is premature to talk about anything right now. Let the papers come to us, we will decide and take appropriate action," said MP Pandove, secretary of the Punjab Cricket Association.

However former India captain Sourav Ganguly stood behind Rahul Sharma, saying the young leg-spinner probably committed the "mistake unknowingly" and he, therefore, should not lose his place in the national team for the offence, says a report in The Indian Express.

"It's disappointing but I think, it's a mistake more than a routine thing. He's a young boy, he had gone for a party where probably I am not sure whether knowingly or unknowingly, he had it. I don't think it was a performance enhancing drug for which he should be punished. I think it was of those strange incident, one unfortunate incident which should not cost him his India place," Ganguly said, adding, "He should be punished for little bit of time but I don't think it's such a grave issue that he should be banned from playing for India. The BCCI needs to counsel him.".