India opener Prithvi Shaw said he has been ‘really shaken’ by the suspension for doping violation that will keep him out of cricket till November, but promised to come out it ‘faster and stronger’.

Shaw was on Tuesday handed an eight-month ban by the Board of Control of Cricket in India. The 19-year-old Shaw, who played two Test matches against the West Indies in 2018, has been reportedly undergoing rehabilitation for a hip injury recently. He tested positive for terbutaline during the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament.

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Along with Shaw, two other domestic players – Akshay Dullarwar of Vidarbha and Divya Gajraj of Rajasthan – have also violated the cricket board’s anti-doping code.

Full text of Shaw’s statement here:

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 and cold while playing for my Mumbai team during Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament in Indore in Feb 2019. I was coming back off a foot injury which I suffered during the India tour of Australia and 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. 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. 

I have to take this in my stride and hope it inspires others in our sports fratenity 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 and we need to always follow the protocol. 

I thank BCCI for all the support and also my near and dear ones who have always stood by me. 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. Thank you again everyone for your support.  

Shaw had inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups, the BCCI had said.

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.

Full details of the suspensions here.