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New Delhi: The fourth T20I between India and South Africa was abandoned due to poor visibility after a dense layer of smog engulfed the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on December 17.
The BCCI received massive backlash about the scheduling of matches in the northern part of India during the peak winter months. The venues allotted for the full-tour against the Proteas included New Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Lucknow, Ranchi, Raipur, Visakhapatnam, Cuttack, Ahmedabad, Guwahati and Kolkata during November and December.
The pollution levels in cities like Lucknow, New Chandigarh and Dharamsala are usually high. The scheduling of the fourth T20I also raised serious questions about the BCCI's commitment to players' welfare.
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya was seen wearing a mask to tackle the pollution, while other players warmed up ahead of the match. The fourth T20I was scheduled to begin at 7 PM local time, but was cancelled after the sixth inspection as the visibility got worse.
BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla also walked out to the ground during one of the inspections, but returned disappointed after speaking to the match officials.
While speaking to the media, Shashi Tharoor urged Rajiv Shukla to shift the India matches from North India to Kerala.
"Rajiv ji, I was saying that apart from scheduling matches in North India in January, Kerala aaiye (come to Kerala)," Tharoor said to Shukla while talking to the media.
To which the BCCI vice-president replied, saying they'll have to look at the schedule as Kerala already get matches according to the rotation policy.
While speaking to the media, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said that if the ball is not visible, how will they play? He further added that the matches should be hosted in South India, where pollution doesn't exist.
"There is no fog here. The ball will be clearly visible, we will play well, and cricket fans will not have any reason to be upset," PTI quoted Tharoor as saying.
The Men in Blue are currently leading the five-match series by 2-1, and the last T20I will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on December 19.
