New Delhi | Jagran Sports Desk: The Board of Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday gave green singal to the first T20I fixture to be played between India and Bangladesh at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. When questioned if the match will go ahead as scheduled, the BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said, ''Yes, it will'' quoted ANI. The air quality in Delhi continues to deteriorate in Delhi and slipped to severe categories in the aftermath of Diwali festival.
This had led many to urge the BCCI to shift the match from Delhi. Cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday on Wednesday had stressed that pollution is a bigger concern than a cricket match.
"It is a far serious issue than having a game of cricket or any other sports matches happens in Delhi. For us I think people living in Delhi should be more concerned about the pollution levels rather than the cricket match that happens," ANI quoted Gautam Gambhir as saying.
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As per a report by India Today, Rohit-led team India squad were planning to train indoors ahead of the first T20I. The hosts will train between 2-5 pm on November 1 and 2 in the run up the T20I opener on November 3.
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Earlier, in December 2017, Sri Lanka players felt uncomfortable during a test match held at the stadium (then Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium). Some of the Srilankan cricketers wore a pollution mask before stepping into the field and often had to be attended by doctors on field. At first, the Sri Lankan players had even refused to take the field. It was the first instance that an international match was halted due to toxic smog.
To recall, the level of pollution in Delhi had surged 20 times above safe limits on Diwali but lowered back to poor category. On Thursday, the AQI was 687 in Anand Vihar at 4 pm.