"No One's Dying," Says Bangladesh Coach As Players Wear Masks During Training In Delhi

The Delhi pollution took a turn for the worse on Friday with a public health emergency being declared in the national capital and nearby areas by the pollution control body mandated by the Supreme Court. Delhi has been struggling with rising air pollution levels since Diwali. The pollution level in the region entered the "severe plus" or "emergency" category late Thursday night, the first time since January. The India vs Bangladesh first T20 International is scheduled to be held in Delhi on Sunday despite calls from environmentalists to shift it due to pollution. On Thursday, one Bangladesh player -- Liton Das -- was seen wearing a mask while training but on Friday multiple members of the Bangladesh team and support staff were seen with pollution masks as they prepared for the opening clash of the series.

The likes of Bangladesh fast bowler Al-Amin Hossain, team's spin consultant Daniel Vettori and coach Russell Domingo were all pictured wearing the pollution masks during a fielding training session on Friday.

"We know the Sri Lankans struggled last time and look there's a bit of pollution in Bangladesh as well, so it's a not a massive shock unlike some other countries. The players have just got on with the game and haven't complained too much about it," Domingo told reporters.

"It's only three hours so it's going to be easy. There may be scratchy eyes, sore throat but that's ok. No one is dying," Domingo added.

He said while the situation was not ideal, it would be the same for both teams.

"There's no breeze but obviously not perfect weather with the smog. But it same for both teams. Not perfect, not ideal but you can't complaint about and get on with the game," the coach said.

On Thursday, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had confirmed that the T20I match between India and Bangladesh in Delhi will go ahead as planned. However, the former India captain did say that the board would be "more practical" while scheduling matches in the Northern part of India in the winters.

(With PTI inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

Bangladesh Cricket Team India Cricket Team Daniel Vettori Al-Amin Hossain India vs Bangladesh Cricket