IND vs BAN | Hopeful players won't face health hazards owing to Delhi pollution, says BCCI official
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The Air Quality Index (AQI) was rated as 'very poor' recently, in the national capital region and it has become a cause of concern ahead of the T20 International between India and Bangladesh in Delhi on November 3. The Bangladesh team might be asked to carry face masks in case the need arises.
Just a couple of days before Diwali, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was rated as "very poor" in the national capital region and it has become a cause for concern ahead of the T20 International between India and Bangladesh at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on November 3.
This brings back to memory the nightmarish scenario in December 2017, when the Sri Lankan cricket team was left gasping for breath during a Test match at the Kotla, forcing most of their players to wear protective masks even as some fell ill.
As per AQI standards, 0-50 is considered âgood', 51-100 is âsatisfactoryâ, 101-200 is âmoderateâ, 201-300 is âpoorâ while 301-400 is âvery poorâ. Anything above 400 can cause serious health issues. According to the available information, on Thursday, at 8:30 am, the AQI in the vicinity of Delhi University was 357, which is considered to be very poor.
Senior officials of both Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) acknowledged that air pollution is something that is beyond their control and they can only hope that since the match is being held a week after Diwali, the situation will be under control.
"Look, we have factored in the post Diwali air pollution in Delhi but since the match is a week away, we are hopeful that the players won't face any health hazards," a senior BCCI official told PTI while acknowledging that there are practical concerns.
However, the rotation policy followed by the BCCI and the travel route for the visiting team forced the BCCI to schedule the first match of the tour in Delhi, and they are now hoping that the city's poor air quality doesn't become an issue during the night encounter.
"The travel itinerary has been chalked in such a manner that Bangladesh will directly arrive in Delhi and exit the country from Kolkata. We wanted to make the travelling convenient that it starts from North, goes to West (Nagpur, Rajkot, Indore) and finishes in the east (Kolkata)," the official said.
It is expected that the Bangladesh team will be asked to carry face masks in case the need arises.
However, some relief can be on the way as a central government directive has stopped farmers in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana from paddy stubble burning.
"We have told Punjab and Haryana to completely stop stubble burning at least for the next few critical days. Next three weeks, especially days between October 26 to November 4, are critical and we are taking care," Environment secretary C K Mishra said.
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