The third day of the second test match between India and Sri Lanka witnessed something that had never happened in the history of international cricket. For the first time in 140 years, a team was seen wearing face masks while playing on the field. It’s a well-known fact that Delhi’s pollution level has risen at an alarming rate but it was on Sunday that the environmental issue became a matter of embarrassment for India.
It was a great match for India as skipper Virat Kohli was playing amazingly well with a double ton. However, just after the lunch break, Sri Lankan players entered the field with anti-pollution masks on their faces. The game was at that point when Indians were expecting Kohli to reach 300 but the entire smog situation disturbed the game at repeated time intervals.
Here’s what happened in the game (Anti-Pollution Masks)
After the lunch break, when Sri Lankan team got down to the field, most of them were seen wearing face masks. Later, when the game started, some player or the other kept halting the game and stated that they were having breathing problems and even vomiting. The game was stopped in the 123rd over for 17 minutes and then again in the 127th and 128th for 5 minutes and 3 minutes.
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Match was stopped Repeatedly
At one point in the match, Sri Lanka captain Chandimal complained to the Umpire that the bowlers couldn’t bowl in the smoggy air. This brought the game to a halt and there were discussions held to counter the situation.
Umpire David Boon called for the doctors to check on the players’ condition. However, doctors said that the situation was not too bad and the game could b easily continued. Despite this, several payers kept complaining of breathing problems.
How it affected India’s game?
As soon as the match was stopped, it created a lot of distraction as Indian players couldn’t focus on the game very much. Due to the repeated halting, India lost two important wickets in the match. Virat Kohli was dismissed at 243 by LBW. Later in the match, annoyed by the situation, Kohli had to declare India’s innings at 536-7.
How bad is the pollution level?
Reports suggest that the pollution level in Delhi has grown at an alarming rate which is clearly a danger to the residents. Discussing the figures, the PM 2.5 amount is 206 while PM 10 is 96. This is a dangerously high level of bad air quality that is literally toxic for the people in the capital city.
Opinions
While many people said that it’s a matter of shame for India that the pollution level has gone up to a disturbing level, many argued that it was just a strategy to distract Indian team on the ground. While the acting president of India’s cricket board CK Khanna pointed out as to how 20,000 people in the stands were unaffected by the smog, Sri Lanka Coach Nic Pothas said that the match had to be stopped in concern with players’ health.
However, if we look at the figures, the air quality index during the match was close to 206 as per the ITO’s monitoring station near the stadium. If it was a genuine issue for the Sri Lankan players, it’s not just embarrassing but also a matter of great concern for India.
