Bangladesh team is in Delhi as they are participating in a T20 match and the air in Delhi is not fit for any external sports, but, well, the schedule is set and the teams have to honour it and this is where the new BCCI president Sourav Ganguly needs to right all the wrongs. He wants the BCCI to be more practical while fixing itineraries, keeping the weather conditions and time zones in mind.
Ganguly spoke about consulting the Central Pollution Control Board in the future with respect to using the national capital as a venue in the winter months. Delhi has, for the last few years, faced huge problems hazardous air-pollution levels and smog. As things stand right now, air quality in areas as close as 3km from the stadium is marked as hazardous.
Ganguly takes note
"We've spoken to Delhi authorities in the last two days," Ganguly said at a media briefing in Kolkata on Thursday. "They are expecting the match to go through. It was already scheduled so we couldn't cancel it at the last minute. We came in on the 28th and it was too late to do anything. Because a lot of preparations go in matches - tickets, crowds, everything. So it's not possible to cancel matches at the last minute. He further added, "I hope it goes through. But post-Diwali is a bit of a difficult time in the north because the winter comes in and [there is] a lot of smoke and dust and everything.
"So, in the future when we schedule, especially the northern part of India in the winter, we'll have to be a little bit more practical. But fingers crossed." On the eve of the match, there was a thick blanket of smog hovering all over the ground forcing the Bangladesh players to use pollution masks as they were struggling while training. "It's my personal problem. I was not feeling well then," said Bangladesh batsman Liton Das after the training session.
Russell Domingo, the Bangladesh coach, complained of breathing problems and even of burning eyes, and dizziness. "Our coach did not feel well. He said his eyes were burning and he was finding it hard to even breathe because of the lack of clean air," said a Bangladesh team member.
