The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia on Monday denied reports that the opening ODI between India and Sri Lanka would be shifted from Delhi to Ahmedabad. Earlier, several reports claimed that the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi would be unable to host the series opener between the two Asian teams due to ongoing construction work.
However, Saikia said no such decision has been taken for now and that the decision to allot bilateral matches depends on the standard policy, and there has been no change in the venue.
“Reports suggesting that the India–Sri Lanka ODI match scheduled in Delhi may be shifted to Ahmedabad are not accurate. There has been no such decision by the BCCI. We request media colleagues to kindly refer to official BCCI communications for any updates regarding the schedule,” Saikia said in an official statement.
“Further, it needs to be reiterated that bilateral matches are primarily allotted by following a standard policy,” he added.
According to the official schedule issued by the BCCI, the first ODI between India and Sri Lanka is scheduled for December 13 in the national capital. As of now, Ahmedabad is slated to host the third and final ODI on December 19. Apart from the ODIs, Sri Lanka will also play the Men in Blue in three T20Is.
Pollution issue in Delhi
The pollution levels are expected to rise in the next few months; hence, once again, the scheduling of a major cricket fixture in Delhi in December is in question. Back in 2017, Sri Lankan pacer Suranga Lakmal was seen vomiting on the ground and had to be escorted off the field. The incident happened
At that time, the BCCI stated they would be wary of hosting matches in Delhi from October to December. “Scheduling of matches in Delhi during this time of the year will be considered,” Amitabh Chaudhary, the acting secretary of the BCCI, had said at that time.
The topic of pollution had popped up during the 2023 World Cup during the match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Both teams also cancelled their training sessions, and the players who went ahead with the optional sessions did so wearing face masks.