Rahul Sharma vows to give up cricket if found guilty

Mumbai/Jallandhar – Pune Warriors’ players Rahul Sharma and Wayne Parnell claimed Monday that they don’t use drugs and they were at the wrong place at the wrong time when the Mumbai police raided a rave party at the Oakwood Premier hotel near Juhu beach.

South African pacer Parnell, who converted to Islam last year, and India leg-spinner Sharma were among the 100 people who were rounded up Sunday after police busted a rave party. Both are Indian Premier league players.

‘I don’t do drugs. Myself and Rahul were there at the hotel in a party at the request of a friend. We went there and at 7′o’clock police were all over in the party. We were just at the wrong place at the wrong time,’ said Parnell in Mumbai.

Addressing the media in Jallandhar, Sharma said: ‘I was invited to a birthday party. Wayne Parnell was with me, I did not know that there was a rave party at the hotel.’

Sharma maintained that he is clean and also said that he would give up cricket if he tests positive.

‘We reached there at around 7 in the evening and all of a sudden within half an hour of us reaching there, the police raid happened. We didn’t know what was happening, I asked the police officers and they told me that a raid was in progress.,’ Sharma said.

‘We have cooperated with the police and have even given medical tests. I belong to a simple family and have not even had a beer in my life. Where does the question of attending a rave party ariseIJ I will give up the sport if my tests come out positive. I have told everything to the team management and things would be clear once the medical report comes out,’ he said.

Asked if the friend who invited them was an old acquaintance, Parnell said: ‘It was an old friend and we met him last year. We have been in touch with him since then. We have nothing to do with drugs. We are on the WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) list and tested regularly.’

The 22-year-old from Port Elizabeth said he and Sharma had given their blood and urine samples for testing and that he was confident they would come out clean.

‘We fully cooperated with the cops. We have also given them our blood and urine sample and I am confident that our reports will be negative,’ said Parnell.

Parnell said after they were rounded up, they were separated in two groups of boys and girls and were taken to a hospital.

‘We were taken to two-three hospitals and then landed up at the same hospital were the group was there. We have signed all the papers and submitted the documents as well,’ he said.