The first ODI between India and Sri Lanka is likely to be shifted from the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has asked BCCI to reschedule the match on December 13 for another venue. According to reports, the DDCA has written to BCCI saying it cannot host the match on the given date. Delhi’s high pollution levels during winter are among the main reasons considered. The stadium, itself, is undergoing renovation.
The DDCA is concerned about the poor air quality of Delhi as the average AQI of the city was 351 in December last year, which faced similar values also on November 2. The DDCA does not want to take any risk owing to already present concerns and past experiences and has made a proposal to the BCCI to shift the match to another venue.
“More than the renovation work, we want the match to be moved because of AQI in Delhi,”a source who knows about the matter told Cricbuzz.
DDCA Asks BCCI to Move First ODI from Delhi
During a cricket Test match held between teams from India and Sri Lanka in December 2017, incidents have been observed where certain Sri Lankan players were throwing up onto the field. DDCA sources revealed they would need to ensure that such episodes do not recur again. It is believed that the association contacted the board to arrange for yet another game to be held sometime next year.
The recent incident related to the game that was supposed to be the first of the three matches of the ODI series, with the other two to be played in Bengaluru on December 16 and Ahmedabad on December 19. However, with that, BCCI will have to modify the schedules for the series. Additionally, BCCI dismissed the earlier rumors of shifting the match, when secretary Devajit Saikia straightaway denied the moves.
“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. Further, it needs to be reiterated that bilateral matches are primarily allotted by following a standard policy,” Saikia had said on October 12.