Delhi air quality hazardous as India, Sri Lanka battle on

Delhi’s air quality has worsened today but India and Sri Lanka continued to battle on for glory in the third and final Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Monday.

Sri Lankan cricketers had complained of uneasiness on Sunday (day 2 of the ongoing Test) and play had been halted for 17 minutes with India skipper Virat Kohli in sight of a triple hundred. Most of the visiting team had come out wearing masks after lunch but soon Suranga Lakmal and Lahiru Gamage, the pacers, had to withdraw.

After repeated stoppages by Sri Lanka, India suffered a mid-innings collapse. More significantly, Kohli was dismissed for 243.

After yet another interruption, Kohli decided to declare the Indian innings at 536/7. Sri Lanka lost three wickets before Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal batted the islanders through to safety at the end of the second day.

Sri Lankan coach Nic Pothas later said a few of his players came off the field vomiting.

“It’s well documented that Delhi has high level of pollution.”

“We had players coming off the field and vomiting,” Pothas told reporters after the match. “There were oxygen cylinders in the change room. It’s not normal for players to suffer in that way while playing the game.”

None of the Indian fielders, however, wore masks when they came out to field late on Sunday. But Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin were seen wearing masks in the dressing-room earlier.

There was more cause for concern for the Sri Lankan team on Monday, though, when Chandimal had to seek medical help early in the morning.

The physio came running in with a drink and handed it to Chandimal in the 52nd over of the Sri Lankan innings. There is smog around in the air today as well.

The reserve player, who came out with the physio, was wearing a mask.

It looked like the Sri Lankan skipper was having issues with breathing.

The Sri Lankan team staff were seen standing near the sidelines and were alert especially after a few of their players threw up on Sunday.

India Today