World Cup 2023: Why did some Bangladeshi players skip practice? Is Delhi's air pollution the reason?

On the eve of the World Cup game of Sri Lanka v. India held in Delhi, only eight Bangladeshi players continued their training. The rest of them were advised to rest. The reason why other Bangladeshi players did not risk practicing in Delhi was attributed to the high pollution levels in Delhi. This advice was given to the Bangladeshi coach Chandika Hathurusinghe to the players. The coach said that the players who did not come were actually "asthmatic" and they did not wish to risk training because of the poor air quality in Delhi.

It was not the very first time that Bangladesh had canceled a training session. Actually, one such session had already been canceled by Bangladesh on Friday evening. Additionally, it did something similar on Saturday afternoon as well. On Saturday evening, Bangladesh trained 13 players prior to the lower attendance of players observed on Sunday afternoon.

The coach Hathurusinghe expressed that their doctor has had a keen check on the players. The coach further expressed that some of the players did not show up for the practice as they were asthmatic and thus they preferred staying indoors. Moreover, the coach further stated that even when the players are practicing, they are conscious. The players are rained what they have to be trained and then they quickly rush back to the dressing room. Lastly, the coach said that some measures were taken by him in order to minimize the exposure prior to the game.

The coach expressed that the team selection is not going to be affected by the air quality. However, the team is cautious of the long-term impacts of playing in such situations. He expressed that the team needs to practice while taking care of the long-term impact of such conditions. He further said that the air quality is impacting both the teams and it is not ideal. However, the team has no other choice and thus they have to play in the condition that is there in front of them.

He stated that the selection of the team is not going to depend on the air quality. It is going to depend on the team's strength and the opposition.

Mahinda Halagoda, the Sri Lanka team manager stated that they would be guided by the advice of ICC.

"Definitely we will be looking at the index. But obviously, we will be guided by the ICC and I think they have a medical panel here and, so, they will be giving us instructions," said Halangoda.

As per the guidelines by ICC on air quality and the advice of the pulmonologist who is being consulted by the organizers, the Air Quality Index standing below 200 is seen as safe for play in a majority of situations. An AQI higher could lead to problems in the play. However, this is merely a guideline and not a stiff cut-off.

On Sunday afternoon, the AQI read to be over 400. It hit 500 at some point throughout the day. On Thursday, an air emergency was declared in Delhi as the AQI went beyond 400 in some areas on Thursday.