Air pollution forces Mumbai players to wear face masks in Ranji clash vs Delhi
India Today
Mumbai's players were forced to wear face masks on Thursday to protect themselves from pollution caused by nearby construction on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy match against Delhi.
Several Mumbai players were forced to wear face masks while fielding during their Ranji Trophy Group D clash against Delhi at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in Mumbai's BKC on Thursday, after pollution levels around the ground spiked due to nearby construction activity.
India and Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan, his younger brother Musheer Khan, and spinner Himanshu Singh were seen wearing masks during the third session at the MCA BKC Ground as dust from a construction site adjoining the venue made the air visibly hazy. The air quality index hovered around 160 on the day, placing it in the unhealthy category.
While pollution has been a recurring concern in the city, it is rare for players to resort to wearing face masks during competitive cricket. However, continuous construction work next to the ground appeared to worsen conditions on Thursday afternoon, prompting the precautionary step.
The three Mumbai players wore the masks for around half an hour while fielding before removing them later as play progressed.
"There wasn't any banter about it," Mumbai pacer Mohit Avasthi said. "But new construction work is being carried out here and because of that the players were feeling the pollution and having issues with breathing, so they put those on."
Despite the challenging conditions, Mumbai produced a strong bowling effort to bundle out Delhi for 221 on the opening day. Sanat Sangwan was the lone bright spot for the visitors, scoring a resolute 118, his third century of the season, while the rest of the batting line up faltered.
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