India vs South Africa 4th T20I Called Off Due To Excessive Fog In Lucknow

The scenes at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow turned frustrating as repeated inspections by match officials led to a prolonged delay before the fourth T20I between India and South Africa was eventually called

off. The start of the game was pushed back by more than two hours, with players and spectators left waiting amid growing uncertainty.

The venues allotted for the full series against the Proteas included New Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Lucknow, Ranchi, Raipur, Visakhapatnam, Cuttack, Ahmedabad, Guwahati and Kolkata during November and December.

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

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 had 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.

BCCI vice-president and lifelong Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association’s spiritual boss 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.

Earlier, vice-captain Shubman Gill ruled out of the final two T20Is against South Africa because of a toe injury. According to PTI, the injury occurred during a training session, with the team taking all precautionary measures to ensure a swift recovery.

With the New Zealand T20Is serving as the final series before the T20 World Cup and the team for both the bilateral series and the marquee event expected to be the same, the national selection committee and team management might take all necessary precautions concerning one of their specialist top-order batters.

(With PTI Inputs)