came under the ambit of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) last August.
It is learned that Rao tested positive for prohibited substance '19-Norandrosterone', known for increasing muscle mass and aiding in recovery. It is a detectable metabolite of nandrolone, an anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) and is often used by male athletes.
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Rao, a member of both Madhya Pradesh's senior and Under-23 squads, is a registered player with the BCCI. She has so far played five List-A and eight T20 matches for Madhya Pradesh.
Times of India reported that Rao was tested in Baroda on March 14 as an out of competition testing. She was a member of the Madhya Pradesh senior squad for the One-Day competition at the time.
NADA's Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP) will now decide the level of punishment for Rao's first-time doping offence. It could range between two to four years.