"Whereabouts" clause of WADA contract vs. Indian Cricketers

For past week, we have witnessed the petulance of Indian Cricketers over the issue of signing WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) contract . The issue being the 'whereabouts " clause of the contract which specifies that players must notify WADA of their whereabouts for 90 days in advance when not playing(between tournaments)..... This has been interpreted as invasion of privacy by Indian Cricketers and hence they have refused to sign the contract, supported by BCCI(undoubtedly the wealthiest Cricket Board in the world and hence a powerful body).

To be fair, other athletes like Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal also have reservations about the WADA contract, but they have signed the contract nevertheless. All other cricket boards have also signed the contract, Indian Cricket Players being the exception. So ,are their concerns genuine or yet another tantrum (considered to be one of the perks of Superstardom in India) , considering the fact that other Indian players like Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza, etc. have signed it?

As far as the privacy invasion is concerned, it's a legitimate concern but it is equally valid for the players world over. But, the commitment to make the Sports clean drives their decision to sign the contract or if they have any issues , their respective Boards look into it, rather than supporting the tantrums. WADA has already expressed its commitment to review the "whereabouts" clause by the end of the year. Also, at any given time , only two persons would be aware of an athlete's whereabouts. It's not that WADA is going to announce the whereabouts of the players to all and sundry.

Agreed, Indian Cricketers are under intense media scrutiny and their schedules are hectic, but so do most of the prominent athletes. There's no valid reason that Indian Cricketers should be given preferential treatment. Worse has been the attitude of BCCI, supporting them and hence emerging as the new "Big Bully " of cricket. I know, for some it's a matter of pride that India can take on earlier bullies. I agree, we must stand our ground and BCCI must support its players if something /someone has been unfair to Indian Cricketers but this time , it looks like it has taken the Cricketers' tantrums too seriously. Indian Cricketers and BCCI have come across as surly and petulant .

Some people have raised the question : what's the need to conduct out of tournament dope tests? Well, I don't think that an athlete who wants to cheat would be stupid enough to go into a tournament with proscribed drugs in his/her body . One would think that the break between tournaments would be an ideal time for doping and hence also an ideal time for conducting random tests in order to catch dopers and eliminate doping.

Also, a specious argument forwarded in favour of Indian Cricketers' stand goes like this : Since Cricket is a skill based game, doping won't help cricketers and hence should not be of much concern . Well, it's naive . Have we forgotten Shane Warne or more recently , Mohd. Asif? Need something more be said?

All in all, it's high time cricketers realized that they are not different to other players or immune to rules . They are superstars and role models because they play well and not because of their tantrums . As a Cricket fan myself, it's disheartening to see Indian Cricketers being so unreasonable and churlish. Let our cricketers not destroy their credibility among cricket lovers by displaying petty attitude and demanding preferential treatment .