India National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Match Scorecard: The atmosphere had the final say in Lucknow as the 4th T20I between India and South Africa was called off due to excessive fog without a toss being played at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday.

The 6:30 pm IST toss was pushed back repeatedly, with umpires conducting six inspections over three hours, ultimately deeming conditions unfit for international cricket.

The venues pencilled for the full series against the Proteas included New Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Lucknow, Ranchi, Raipur, Visakhapatnam, Cuttack, Ahmedabad, Guwahati and Kolkata during November and December.

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It is also a time when pollution levels in the host cities like Lucknow, New Chandigarh and Dharamsala are usually at their most harmful.

The fourth T20I was officially called off without a ball being bowled due to "excessive fog", the truth was that a dense blanket of smog shrouded the Ekana Stadium, severely hindering visibility.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) stayed in the hazardous range, above 400 in Lucknow on Wednesday, presenting profound questions about the BCCI's commitment to players' welfare.

Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya was seen sporting a surgical mask to counter the pollution while the Indian team practised ahead of the game.

The match, scheduled to start at 7 pm, was eventually called off at 9:30 pm after the sixth inspection, although it was more of a courtesy with everyone present well aware that visibility was only going to get poorer as the night advanced.

The players had quit their warm-up session by 7:30 pm and returned to the confines of their dressing rooms. By 9 pm, the sizeable crowd that had braved the cold conditions had also begun to thin out.

With no reserve day in place, both teams will now fly to Ahmedabad for the final T20I on Friday, with India leading the series 2–1.

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Post the game, India's mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who hails from Tamil Nadu, acknowledged that the conditions were particularly challenging for him.

"I've never played at a ground this cold, so I did find it quite challenging,” he had said.

The AQI on match day in Dharmsala was in the 'poor' category and in the 'severe' zone during the 2nd T20I in New Chandigarh.

(With PTI Inputs)