Ind vs Ban T20I in Delhi to take place despite environmental concerns

India will go head to head against Bangladesh for the first T20 at Arun Jaitley Stadium on November 3, 2019, despite the growing concerns about Delhi’s degrading air quality post-Diwali. It was reported that the series opener was being shifted from New Delhi to a different venue due to the air pollution after the country capital’s air quality (AQI) went up to a severe and very poor range for the last few days of Diwali.

Also Read | India Vs Bangladesh: Most Exciting T20I Matches Between The Nations

It came into the notice when noted environmentalists submitted a letter to the BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, requesting the committee to shift the opening match to a different city. Jyoti Pande of Care for Air and Ravina Rai Kohli of My Right To Breathe wrote a letter requesting about the shift of venue for the opening T20 match outside of Delhi as New Delhi is facing an extreme level of pollution due to Diwali. They added that making the Indian side and the visitors play a physically demanding sport for 3-4 hours in Delhi’s polluted air will do more damage to the health of both the teams in the long run.

Also Read | Aus Vs SL T20Is: The Best Of David Warner- Steve Smith Partnerships

Also Read | Icons Sourav Ganguly & Rahul Dravid Hold Official Meet; Details Here

However, Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) officials put an end to these reports of shifting the venue for the Sunday’s upcoming fixture out of Delhi. According to the reports, one of the DDCA officials stated that there has been no such communication from BCCI’s end. He added that they have been told to carry on with the preparations for the match.

Also Read | Shakib Al Hasan Ban: Bangladesh Media Reactions To Shakib's 2-year Ban

The AQI of ITO stood at 368 which comes under very poor category around 7 pm on Wednesday around a kilometre away from the Feroz Shah Kotla ground.

Ticket sale surges

Meanwhile, a DDCA official said that there was a rapid growth in the sale of tickets on Wednesday and the authorities are confident the numbers will only rise in the coming two days.