‘Pollution toh hoga’ – Fans react as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka cancel their training due to air pollution in Delhi

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have cancelled their training session ahead of their match on Monday in Delhi. The two teams have cited ‘Severe’ air pollution as the reason for their reluctance to have the training session in Delhi. the two teams are set to play each other in Delhi’s Arun Jaitley stadium in the ODI World Cup 2023 on the 6th of November.

Before the match, the two teams were to have a practice session. But it was cancelled due to severe AQI in Delhi. An AQI of 0 to 50 is regarded as ‘Good’. An AQI of 51 to 100 is called ‘Satisfactory’. An AQI of 101 to 200 is regarded as ‘Moderate’. The AQI ranging from 201 to 300 and 301 to 400 are termed ‘Poor’ and ‘Very poor’ respectively. The AQI between 401 to 500 is termed ‘Severe’.

It is November month in Delhi, which is the start of the winter period. Usually, Delhi has high pollution during this period. It has caught the attention of cricket fans, who have criticized the organizers for allowing the match to happen at the venue despite knowing the consequences. But it does not seem that the venue would be changed at this point.

Rescheduling of the match to happen?

On Friday and Saturday, the AQI in Delhi went beyond the ‘Severe’ level. It was reported from Sri Lanka that the reports read an AQI of a whopping 407 on Saturday morning. Hence, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka decided against having the training session. “It was cancelled owing to the air quality issue,” said the statement of Sri Lankan Cricket about the cancellation of their training session on Saturday. The apex board was asked about the same.

One of the statements of the International Cricket Board read that discussions are happening regarding the issue between the hosts and the apex board officials. Reports suggest that the match might be postponed to a different date, although the confirmation on the same has not happened. Reports claim that some of the players from Bangladesh suffered coughing after trying to have a training session in Delhi.

Here’s how the fans reacted to the news –