Why BCCI Is To Be Blamed After 'Excessive Fog' Forces India vs South Africa T20I To Be Abandoned - Explained

Indian cricket witnessed a rare and bizarre event on Wednesday. An international match - the India vs South Africa 4th T20I in Lucknow - was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to excessive fog. The Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the hazardous range, above 400 in Lucknow on Wednesday, raising serious questions about the BCCI's commitment to players' welfare. Poor visibility caused by a dense layer of smog at the Ekana Stadium made play impossible, even after umpires inspected the conditions at least six times.

How BCCI Created a Scheduling Mess

The match abandonment raised serious questions about the BCCI's scheduling of matches in the northern part of India during peak winter months. The venues allotted for the full India vs South Africa series (Tests, ODIs, and T20Is) included New Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Lucknow, Ranchi, Raipur, Visakhapatnam, Cuttack, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, and Kolkata during November and December.

This is also a period when pollution levels in host cities like Lucknow, New Chandigarh, and Dharamsala are usually at their worst.

What Happened in Lucknow

The fourth T20I was officially abandoned without a ball being bowled due to "excessive fog." In reality, a thick blanket of smog enveloped the Ekana Stadium, severely hampering visibility. Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya was seen wearing a surgical mask to counter the pollution while the Indian team warmed up ahead of the game.

The match, scheduled to start at 7 PM, was eventually called off at 9:30 PM after the sixth inspection, although it was more of a formality, with everyone present well aware that visibility was only going to get worse as the night progressed.

The players abandoned their warm-up session by 7:30 PM and returned to the confines of their dressing rooms. By 9 PM, the sizeable crowd that had braved the cold conditions had also begun to thin out.

How Did BCCI Respond

BCCI vice-president and long-time Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association strongman Rajeev Shukla walked out to the middle during one of the inspections, but his body language after speaking to match officials indicated disappointment.

With no reserve day in place, both teams will now fly to Ahmedabad for the final T20I on Friday, with India leading the series 2-1.

How BCCI Could Have Avoided The Mess

While the BCCI follows a rotational policy when allotting venues, the board could have considered swapping venues with the white-ball series against New Zealand, scheduled to begin on January 11.

The 'Men in Blue' are set to face New Zealand for a white-ball series at venues across western and southern India - Vadodara, Rajkot, Indore, Nagpur, Raipur, Visakhapatnam, and Thiruvananthapuram - with just one match scheduled in the northeastern city of Guwahati.

Matches held at most north-zone venues have historically been affected by weather conditions during the winter months.

Last week, the third T20I was played in sub-10-degree temperatures in Dharamsala, set in the lap of the snow-clad Dhauladhar range.

After the game, India's mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who hails from Tamil Nadu, admitted that the conditions were particularly challenging for him.

"I've never played at a ground this cold, so I did find it quite challenging," he said.

The AQI on match day in Dharamsala was in the 'poor' category, and in the 'severe' zone during the 2nd T20I in New Chandigarh. The planning of the BCCI's operations team seemed questionable if they hadn't collected historical weather data of north-Indian cities or failed to have a plan B to start matches in the afternoon, which could at least have ensured a game for the ticket-paying public.

With PTI inputs

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team South Africa Cricket Team BCCI India vs South Africa, 4th T20I India vs South Africa 2025, India Cricket