While Delhi’s sun is struggling to peep outside, there has
been a smokescreen between the touring Bangladeshi cricketers who have been out
training wearing pollution masks. On Friday, when the apex centre declared
‘emergency’ levels of pollution in Delhi, schools and institutions were shut. A
public health emergency was declared.
India and Bangladesh will play a T20 International match at
Firoz Shah Kotla on Sunday. The dull, poisonous, hazy smog is steadfast over
the ground and has left player’s eyes watery and stinging with irritation while
practising.
Officially it has been stated that the city’s air has been
the toxic cocktail while the general advice is to avoid undue and prolonged
exposure and minimize unnecessary travel.
While Bangladesh cricketers wore masks and practised, their
coach Russell Domingo said, “The weather has been magnificent. For sure we have some
scratchy eyes, maybe little sore throats now and then but…nobody is being sick
or dying or anything like that." However, Indian cricketers had a full
training and nets session without any masks on. Indian batting coach, Vikram
Rathour, on the other hand, seemed stoic saying, “You're asking the wrong person,
I think. The game has been scheduled and we're here to play. No special measure
is being taken (to safeguard the health of the players). We're used to these
conditions."
Flipping pages two years back, players did face a tough time
due to Pollution in December 2017 when they were sure sick as India and Sri
Lanka with hazardous AQI levels. The severity went to an extent that on the second day of the Test, few of the Sri Lankan bowlers vomited and gasped for
oxygen.
However, most of the Indian authorities reacted with
incredulity when a 17-minute stoppage led the Indian coach, Ravi Shastri to
march out of the field while the Bowling coach Bharat Arun said that the
stoppage was unnecessary. The Kotla crowd also booed the Lankans calling them
‘losers’. It was only when Indian fast pace bowler Mohammed Shami vomited on
the ground the very next day which calmed down everybody.
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