Nov 5 (Reuters) – India’s opening one-day international against Sri Lanka on December 13 has been moved from Delhi to Visakhapatnam after the Delhi and District Cricket Association asked for a venue change, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said on Thursday.
The BCCI said the DDCA cited “potential weather disruption and the proposed renovation work at the (Arun Jaitley) stadium” as reasons for seeking the switch.
The match would have been the capital’s first ODI since the 2023 World Cup. It will now be held at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
According to Cricbuzz, the concerns raised by the DDCA are also linked to Delhi’s air quality during December, with officials keen to avoid a repeat of the issues during India’s test match versus Sri Lanka in 2017.
Delhi has not staged an international match in December since that test, when several Sri Lanka players wore masks on the field because of severe air pollution.
Reuters has reached out to the DDCA for comment.
Air pollution becomes a severe problem for the Delhi region around this time of the year when cold, dense air traps emissions from vehicles, construction sites and crop waste burning, pushing pollution levels to the highest in the world and exposing residents to serious respiratory risks.
Fireworks during the Hindu festival of Diwali, which falls on November 8 this year, worsen the pollution in India.
Sri Lanka will play three ODIs and three Twenty20 Internationals on the tour from December 13 to 27.The remaining ODIs will be held in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, while the T20Is will be staged in Rajkot, Cuttack and Pune respectively.
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
