Conditions are same for both teams, says Bharat Arun on "Oxygen-Gate"
BCCI
With the Sri Lankans taking long breaks citing the pollution in Delhi during the final Test Delhi, Bharat Arun rejected the idea stating that the conditions were same for both teams. Arun also praised Kohli’s career-best knock, of 243, and called him a great role model for upcoming cricketers.
India started the second day just as they had ended Day 1 - with a flourish. Starting the day at 371/4 thanks to Kohli’s brilliant century, they were past 400 and Kohli past 200 in no time as the Sri Lankan fielders were seemed helpless in front of India’s batting order.
When the Indians continuously adding runs to the scoreboard, suddenly, Sri Lankan player seemed uncomfortable as Lahiru Gamage started coughing and faced trouble breathing. The game was interrupted for more than 20 minutes as the visitors claimed that they were unable to play in the polluted atmosphere and most players were seen wearing a mask. Later, the game resumed but the struggle continued which forced the Indian skipper to declare the innings prematurely.
Arun targetted the Sri Lankan players and stated that Indian players were also on the field and didn't face the same problems.
"Virat batted close to two days, he didn't need a mask! We are focused on what we need to do. The conditions are the same for both teams," Arun said as quoted by AFP.
"I don't think we were too worried about pollution. The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) schedules these matches and our job is to get the best out of our team.
India declared their innings at 536/7 on the second day in which Kohli played a major role. He not only claimed his sixth double century in Tests but also scored his career-best 243-run knock before he was trapped lbw off left-arm spinner Lakshan Sandakan, who took four wickets in the innings.
“His absolute focus, attention to details, in terms of fitness, game preparation, his skills, he’s spot on,” the bowling coach said.
“He’s an example of what you need to be as a cricketer. That shows in his success rate.”
After Kohli's dismissal, with Wriddhiman Saha and Ravindra Jadeja at the crease, the visitors again started talking to the on-field umpires as Gamage and his bowling partner Suranga Lakmal both left the field in the middle of the innings. The incident led to the Indian skipper, in no uncertain terms asking the visitors to bat and thereby declaring the innings. While the declaration was premature, Arun was quick to add that they were close to their initial target.
“We were looking at a total of 550, it was pretty close to that. So we thought we might as well declare,” Arun added.
