IND v BAN 2019: Delhi to host first T20I between India and Bangladesh despite poor air quality

The air quality in Delhi NCR has deteriorated to the "very poor" level after Diwali celebration

Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium is scheduled to host the first T20I between India and Bangladesh | Getty

Despite the poor air quality in Delhi, the T20I series opener between India and Bangladesh will be played as scheduled at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Read Also: India puts forward plan to host D/N Test at Eden Gardens; Bangladesh yet to decide

The air quality in Delhi NCR has deteriorated to the "very poor" level after Diwali celebration. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 306 and 356 in Delhi and Noida on Monday (October 28) morning. In Gurugram, the air quality index fell to 279 (poor).

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.

This led to the speculation that the first T20I against Bangladesh could be moved out of the national capital. But the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sources dismissed the rumours, saying things will improve by November 3 – the date of the match.

"We had taken permission from Delhi Pollution Control Committee and they gave November 3 as clear day so we decided to fix the Delhi venue after their consultation," BCCI sources quoted as saying by ANI.

When enquired what would happen if the situation worsened, he said, "As of now everything is fixed and I don't see any change in plan."

Bangladesh are due to arrive in New Delhi on Wednesday (October 30). They will play three T20Is and two Tests on this tour.

The second third T20Is will be held in Rajkot and Nagpur on November 7 and November 10 respectively while Indore (November 14-18) and Kolkata (November 22-26) will host the two Tests.  

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 28 Oct, 2019

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