The issue of pollution in Delhi-NCR is becoming increasingly serious, due to which the government has had to take many major decisions. But while all eyes are on the country’s capital, the reality of pollution in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, has shocked everyone. Actually, the fourth T20 match between India and South Africa was to be played at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, which was to start at 7 pm but it could not happen and the reason for this was dense fog and pollution, due to which the toss of the match could not be done even after a delay of 2 hours. But this is not the first time that pollution in the country has affected a sports event and damaged the image of the country.
Players started vomiting during test match
There has been a serious problem of pollution in Delhi-NCR for the last decade. But while only the general public seemed to be troubled by it, in 2017 it caught the world’s attention. The matter is such that in December 2017, a test match was being played between India and Sri Lanka in Delhi. But on the second day of the match, Sri Lankan players were seen wearing masks while fielding because it was becoming difficult for them to breathe due to pollution. During this, some Sri Lankan players also vomited, while some had trouble breathing. Due to this the match had to be stopped for about 20 minutes. Although this match was completed later, Delhi and BCCI were in a lot of trouble regarding this.
Issue raised in World Cup 2023 also
Once again the air of Delhi became a cause of embarrassment and once again the Sri Lankan team was present on this occasion. But this was not just a test match but an opportunity for the World Cup 2023. The match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh was to be played in Delhi itself, but a day before that both the teams had canceled their practice session due to severe pollution. Although it had no impact on the match, BCCI once again came under the scanner as to why the venue was not changed.
Badminton player fell ill, vented out anger
Not only cricket, but pollution tarnishes respect in other sports also. The health of Danish player Mia Blechfeldt, who had come to participate in the India Open badminton tournament in January 2025, deteriorated. After being out of the tournament, Mia told in an Instagram post that her health had deteriorated during the tournament played amidst the dangerous pollution of Delhi, due to which she could not play properly. He even said that he had to face such a situation for the second consecutive year.
BCCI had to change the venue
However, on some occasions, BCCI took necessary steps in time, due to which it was saved from becoming a victim of criticism. The Test match played between India and South Africa in Guwahati in November was initially to be played in Delhi. But after BCCI’s announcement, questions started being raised on this because the pollution level in Delhi remains high in the month of November. Due to this, BCCI changed its decision and India-West Indies test match was organized in Delhi in the month of October.
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